A Promise of Always
by NansJns
Summary: Another contest fic, written for another of Adimra's contests. This time, I got second place! Vegeta is the Prince of a province in feudal Japan, and while on the way to a marriage meeting, meets a beautiful run away. Also some GCC!
1. Chapter 1

Okay, this was for Admira's third contest. I don't own anybody here unless I made them up myself (and that'll be mostly background characters; Kami, I wish I could say I made up Vegeta, Bulma, Goku, and Chi-Chi out of my own mind, but I didn't, and I can't seem to convince anyone I did, anyway. . .) Oh, yes, this fic shall see the return of Auroris, Vegeta's horse from my other contest fic, "Saved by Love"! What can I say? He needed a horse, why make up a new one?

A Promise of Always

by

NansJns

Prolog

The cherries were fresh and ripe, and simply too tempting to leave be. Bulma Briefs, not quite five years old, climbed up the trunk of the cherry tree to reach its fruits. They glistened redly, just beyond her reach. She knew she'd probably get in trouble, she was wearing her only nice kimono, the blue one that matched her eyes with the pictures of white flowers, but she hadn't had anything as sweet as cherries in a long time. She crawled out onto a branch with no cherries on it carefully, and reached for the cherries over her head. Her little fingers still couldn't reach, so she pulled some twigs and leaves off the branch she was on and after a few moments turned them into a little cherry-catching arm and net. She reached her little device up ward and knocked some cherries lose and into the small pocket of leaves. She put the make-shift invention in her lap and started to eat the sweet fruit.

"Hey! Those trees and their fruit belong to the royal family!" a little voice suddenly snapped at her from below. She looked down to see a boy her own age in a rich blue and black kimono. He had dark eyes and dark hair that stood up on end and had a widow's peak, round cheeks, and a stern look on his face. Bulma looked at him for a moment, cherry juice on her fingers and lips. She swallowed her mouthful slowly before speaking.

"I didn't see a fence. I thought they were public trees," she told him. "But if they really do belong to the royal family, I'll get down," she added, and started to crawl back toward the trunk. The branch, already bent with her weight, let out a wailing sound as it cracked, dropping to the blue-haired, blue-eyed little girl to the ground. Bulma let out a high-pitched scream, and then felt herself get caught. She panted for a few seconds, and then looked at the little boy, who had caught her in his arms.

"Are you okay?" the little boy asked. "I wanted you out of the tree, but you could've taken the longer way."

"I'm all right," Bulma nodded. "Thank you for catching me." She smiled at him, and his little cheeks became red. He put her down quickly.

"Just don't climb those trees again," he said, trying to sound big and important.

"I won't. My name is Bulma Briefs, what's yours?" Bulma said with a little bow. The boy looked a little displeased, as though she hadn't bowed deeply enough.

"Vegeta," the boy answered bowing to her slightly.

"Vegeta, are you sure those trees belong to the royal family?" Bulma asked sweetly.

"Yes! Papa told me they belonged to us, so they belong to us!" Vegeta said sharply, and Bulma's eyes widened.

"You're the prince!" she gasped.

"Uh-huh, of this whole province! Someday, of all Japan!" he said with a proud smile. Bulma bowed deeper to make up for her earlier near-insult.

"I'm sorry for stealing some of your cherries!" she said quickly, her face pointed at the ground.

"That's okay. You're right, we don't have a fence, so you can't tell it's owned property. You can think of those cherries as gifts from me," Vegeta tilted his chin up a little, obviously proud of how he was handling the situation. Bulma smiled again, and his cheeks reddened again.

"Thank you!" Bulma almost squealed. Vegeta looked her up and down.

"I don't think I've seen you around here before," Vegeta said slowly. Bulma shook her head 'no', making her blue hair fly.

"My family just moved here," she told him. "My mommy and daddy are still unpacking, and I went to explore."

"Oh," he said, looking thoughtful. After a few seconds, he smiled. "Want to play?" he asked cheerfully. He had few playmates his own age to play with, and he was lonely.

"Sure!" Bulma replied; she hadn't found anyone else her age to play with yet.

"Great!" he said, and took her hand to lead her to a more open area. They played several games, from hide-and-go-seek to a new game Vegeta made up on the spot, 'Samurai and his Lady,' where he'd be the Samurai who had to complete a task to win his lady's (Bulma) honor, and they played with some of Vegeta's toys, which he had brought out and was playing with when he saw her in the tree. His toys were the best made Bulma had ever seen. After a few hours, they heard a woman's voice calling out.

"Bulma! Where you? Bulma! Time for dinner!" the woman's voice echoed.

"That's my mommy! I hafta go now," Bulma said as she stood up. She jerked a little when she remembered who she was playing with. "May I have permission to go?" she asked as she bowed. Vegeta frowned.

"I don't want you to go! We was havin' fun!" he objected. "But if your Mama is calling you, then you hafta. You can go. But you gotta come back tomorrow to play some more!" he said, putting on royal airs again. Bulma giggled a little, but hid it behind her hand.

"Okay, Your Highness, if you say so," she said, and then turned and ran back the way they came. "Bye-Bye!" she called and waved. Vegeta waved back.

"Prince Vegeta! There you are! We've been looking all over for you!" three guards, led by a large, bald, mustached man marched up to the little prince, who looked up at them with annoyance and a near-pout at having been found.

"Hello, Nappa," he said to the leader of the guards.

"You should have been at practice an hour ago, Your Highness!" Nappa said, taking the boy by the arm and leading him back to the palace.

"I was playing and lost track of time," Vegeta said unhappily.

The days passed quickly, and Bulma would sneak in through the cherry grove to play with Vegeta often. They would play and talk, and Bulma surprised Vegeta repeatedly with her ability to build and fix things. They played with the autumn leaves and the winter snows, and when spring made the cherry trees bloom again, they played 'Samurai and Cherry Blossom Princess,' which was the same as "Samurai and his Lady" except that Bulma had a cherry-blossom crown in her blue hair. Vegeta's bodyguards discovered the friendship and reported it to Vegeta's father. Emperor Vegeta watched his son and his little friend and debated. He wasn't sure this friendship was in his son's best interests. He reached a decision when he overheard them talking one day.

"My dad told me I'm going to need an empress when I grow up," Vegeta said to her as he ate a rice ball. Bulma swallowed her own bite of rice ball before answering.

"What's an empress?" she asked.

"Well, it's a lady to rule the land with the emperor, his wife. Dad's already looking at the daughters of some of the nobles to be my empress," Vegeta frowned, obviously displeased with the thought.

"You don't like that?" Bulma asked as she took another bite of rice ball.

"He told me my empress has to be someone I like and can trust, and I don't know any of those girls, so how can I like 'em or trust 'em?" he answered. Then his eyes lit up. "I know!"

"What?" Bulma blinked in surprise. He couldn't have just thought of what she was thinking of.

"I like you, and I trust you, and you're really smart. . .you can be my empress!" Vegeta declared with a beaming smile.

"Really? You want me to be your wife?" Bulma smiled in return.

"Sure, why not?" Vegeta said with a nod.

Three days later, Bulma went to Vegeta with tears in her eyes.

"A soldier came and told my parents we have to leave," she told him.

"What!" Vegeta yelled.

"He said we're to go at once," Bulma sniffled. Vegeta gritted his teeth.

"No! You're not going! I order you not to go!" Vegeta stated firmly, stomping his foot.

"The soldier said the Emperor himself ordered us to go," she said quietly. "And we're not to come back to this province." She reached into a little pouch at her side and pulled out a small necklace made of clay beads with a large, flat, round stone in the middle. She handed it to him. "I made it myself, so you won't forget me. I made the beads under full moonlight, so they'll give you strength, and the stone I found the day I met you, so it's lucky," she told him. He took the necklace quietly.

"I don't. . .have anything to give you right now. . .but I will, before you leave!" Vegeta said quickly. Bulma nodded. She didn't really want anything, except to stay.

Her family had loaded up their cart and were harnessing their horses when Vegeta came running up. He held out his hand, in which he held a necklace. It was made of clay beads, like Bulma's, except it also had cherry seeds between the beads, and only half of the flat stone that had been the center piece of Bulma's necklace. She stared at it in confusion.

"What's this?" Bulma asked slowly.

"My gift. I remade your gift into two necklaces, see?" he said, holding up the necklace he wore, which now only had half the stone. "My half of the stone has your initial, and yours has mine," he continued, showing the "V" and "B" carved into the stone. He put the new necklace over Bulma's head. "When we're all grown up, I'll look for you, and I'll know I've found you by the necklace," he finished, showing her how the two halves fit together.

"Ohh, I see! Okay! That's great!" Bulma nodded. "Do you promise, for always, to come look for me?"

"Uh-huh! Promise for always!" Vegeta nodded.

"Bulma, we need to go, dear," her father said. "Oh, is this your little friend you spent so much time with?"

"Uh-huh. We was saying goodbye," Bulma told him. "I'll be ready inna moment." She turned back to Vegeta. "Goodbye, Vegeta," she said softly.

"Goodbye, Bulma," Vegeta said quietly. Then her father helped her up onto the cart, and they drove away. Vegeta watched them go, and then headed back to the palace before anyone noticed he was missing. He was expected at practice soon.

End Prolog.

I have no idea if there was a game even remotely like 'hide-and-go-seek' in ancient Japan, but it's not like Dragon Ball exists in normal history anyway. . .


	2. Chapter 2

DBZ? Why, yes, it _is_ my exclusive property! I also have a very nice planet for sale, if you're interested. . . (DBZA.T.not me!)

A Promise of Always

by

NansJns

Ch.1

_20 years later. . ._

Vegeta spurred his horse into a faster gallop, reveling in the feeling of the wind through his spiky black hair. His horse, Auroris, tossed his head and let out a neigh. Vegeta was the only person in the whole province who could ride that stallion; he had proven too wild for anyone else. At Vegeta's side rode his strongest samurai and oldest friend, Kakkarot, who was almost six years younger than he was. They had practiced together for years, and neither was fully certain which was stronger. Most believed it was Vegeta, but Vegeta harbored a secret dread that it was, in fact, Kakkarot; he never spoke of it, and it didn't matter all that much, but it bothered him from time to time. The two stallions flew over the grass, their riders leaning into the wind.

"Your Highness!" Kakkarot called out. Vegeta didn't answer. "Prince Vegeta!" he called louder.

"I'm not going to wait up for you, Kakkarot!" Vegeta yelled back at him. Kakkarot blinked as he pulled up next to his prince.

"I don't need you to wait for me!" Kakkarot objected.

"Then what's the problem?" Vegeta asked, smirking. His horse neighed again as they jumped over a small creek.

"Aren't we supposed to be going to the Takanama Province?" Kakkarot asked after they landed.

"Yes," Vegeta frowned and nodded.

"Isn't the Takanama Province that way?" Kakkarot prodded as he pointed to the west, a direction they were certainly not going.

"Yes, I believe it is," Vegeta nodded, and then purposely turned Auroris's head east. Kakkarot followed, surprised, and then laughed.

"We're taking the long way, then?" he asked cheerfully.

"If I have to meet one more fragile, weak, empty-headed noble woman, I will do something unspeakably violent. . most likely to you!" Vegeta answered, his smirk returning.

"I understand there are some _amazing_ sights to see around here, though most are farther to the east!" Kakkarot said with a quick, nervous grin, and they rode off laughing.

Their horses couldn't maintain the speed they had them going for long, and soon slowed down to a trot. They passed by villages and farmed fields, and watched the peasants go through their daily routines. As the sun began to sink into the western horizon, turning the clouds bright colors, Kakkarot began to get uncomfortable.

"My lord, I know you hate these marriage meetings, but shouldn't we be going to the Takanama Province now? They'll be angry if we're later than we should be," Kakkarot asked quietly.

"Let them be angry! I don't care about their pathetic province, it has nothing of any worth to the Vegetasei Province. Besides, I met the princess, briefly, a few years ago, and she's not worth my time!" Vegeta growled. "I have no intention of going there." They continued riding until the sky became deep blue and black velvet, cloaked in gray clouds.

"All right, we'll make camp here," Vegeta said as he pulled on his reigns and brought his horse to a halt. He climbed down and gave Auroris's red throat a pat.

"So what, exactly, is your plan, Vegeta? We have to go home sometime, don't we?" Kakkarot asked as he took a tent down from his own horse.

"The plan is we travel for a while, and then head for home. I'd rather see the country side than that pathetic woman a second time," Vegeta answered as he fetched some food rations from the pouches slung over his horse.

"I just hope I'm not blamed for you not arriving in Takanama," Kakkarot muttered as he started gathering firewood. "They let us go on our own because they trusted me to deliver you in a safe, timely manner."

"Don't worry about it, Kakkarot. I'll take the blame; not that it matters, you'll still get a chewing-out," Vegeta shrugged. Kakkarot sighed as he put the wood he had gathered into a pile. Vegeta lit the fire and Kakkarot set up their tent, and then they both prepped their rations to cook. The full moon beamed down on them dimly through a thickening curtain of clouds. As Vegeta leaned over their cooking fire, obviously displeased with the amount and quality of the food, a small, beaded necklace slid free from his kimono top.

"Next time, we go on to the next town. These rations aren't a fit meal," Vegeta grumbled. "If it weren't so dark, I'd suggest we go hunting." Kakkarot nodded in agreement, but couldn't help but look at the strange piece of jewelry around his prince's neck.

"What's that, Vegeta?" Kakkarot asked, motioning to the necklace.

"This?" Vegeta replied, holding up the half-pendant on the necklace. Kakkarot nodded. "I'm not sure. I've had it for as long as I can remember, but I don't remember where or when I got it. It's some kind of good luck charm for traveling, I know that. I wear it out of habit." Vegeta shrugged and released the piece of jewelry, letting it fall back onto his muscular chest.

"Huh. Why does it have a 'B' carved into it?" Kakkarot tilted his head as he noted the small engraving.

"I have no idea," Vegeta admitted. "The rice is ready."

They ate in silence, and then practiced their swordsmanship and hand-to-hand techniques until the moonlight was completely swallowed in clouds and they decided to turn in for the evening. The tent was large enough that they could sleep at opposite sides of the tent and have plenty of room between them. They were asleep when the wind began to howl, and the first few drops of water began to come down on their tent. They continued sleeping until the rain became a loud downpour that shook the whole tent, with the wind whipped water droplets into the tent. Vegeta got up and went to pin the tent down more firmly.

"Kakkarot, check on the horses, make them some kind of shelter of you can," he ordered. Kakkarot stretched and moved past him.

"Yes, sir," Kakkarot said. He stepped into the rain and ran over to where they had left their horses, who were neighing unhappily at being so wet. Kakkarot pulled some spare blankets from one of their packs to make a small shelter for them. As he was stretching the blankets across some of the branches over the horses, a small flicker of movement caught his eye. The horses' ears twitched and they glanced backwards as well, confirming that he wasn't seeing things. He slipped back to the tent for his sword.

"What is it?" Vegeta asked, going on the alert as Kakkarot grabbed his sword.

"Someone's out there," Kakkarot answered lowly, and Vegeta pulled out his own sword. They walked through the rain carefully, past their horses, and looked deep into the darkness. They couldn't see anything.

"Feh! You imagined it!" Vegeta spat in annoyance. He had been looking forward to a good fight.

"I saw _something_ move," Kakkarot insisted. A small sneeze suddenly hit their sensitive ears, and they snapped back into full alert. "You were saying?" Kakkarot said quietly.

"It seems I judged you a bit too quickly," Vegeta admitted, and they crept toward the source of the sound, which appeared to be a large tree. As they got closer to it, they heard soft voices muttering. If these were assassins, they were very incompetent; probably cheap, too. ((You get what you pay for.)) Vegeta thought. The rain was still cold and heavy, and dawn was still hours away; there was no light to reflect on their drawn blades, no light to show them who they were approaching. If it weren't for the rain, Vegeta would have brought a torch or a lantern, but at the moment, either would've been put out the moment it was taken outside the tent. Depending on their other senses, they inched around the tree, where they could now discern heavy, frightened breathing. Without meaning to, Kakkarot scrapped his sandal across the ground loudly enough for whoever it was to hear, and one of them suddenly sprang up - and tried to run, letting out a high-pitched, feminine scream. Both samurai jumped back in surprise, and a small body collided with Kakkarot. Instinctively, he grabbed the person's shoulders, and squinted through the darkness to see a pale, dark-eyed, dark-haired girl in his grasp, who looked frightened, cold, and wet. Kakkarot seemed to freeze, as did the girl. Vegeta looked at both in bewilderment.

"Chi-Chi! Are you all right!" a second female suddenly jumped up from behind the tree. Vegeta looked to her as Kakkarot and the first girl continued to stare at each other. Even in the darkness, he could make out a blue main of hair and pale skin.

"Women?" Vegeta finally said.

"Samurai?" the blue-haired woman answered. Kakkarot and the dark-haired woman seemed to snap out of their trance and regarded their companions.

"I-I'm all right, Bulma. I'm sorry about panicking like that," the girl in Kakkarot's grip, Chi-Chi, said.

"What are you doing out here?" Vegeta asked.

"None of your business!" the blue-haired woman, Bulma, said. "Why are you out here?"

"Woman, you answer when you're asked a question! Why are the two of you out here alone?" Vegeta snarled. Bulma made no move to back down.

"Why don't we go into the tent where it's dry so we can talk?" Kakkarot suggested. Chi-Chi suddenly looked nervous, but her companion nodded slowly.

"All right, anything to get out of the rain," she said, and Vegeta and Kakkarot led them back to the tent. Once inside, Kakkarot lit a lantern and they got a good look at each other for the first time. Vegeta stared into eyes as deep blue as the richest jewels he'd ever seen, and admired the soft, pink skin and soft features, well-rounded curves and blue hair that was currently sticking to her face and neck in wet strings; the woman was lovely, even while still soaking wet. Kakkarot's eyes never left Chi-Chi, with her dark brown eyes and black hair, and her own fine body. He noted, with some confusion, that she was dressed in the kind of kimono a bordello girl would wear, and it had been torn and patched together messily. Bulma, herself, was dressed a little oddly; it looked like a nice tea-ceremony kimono, not a traveling kimono. The women, in turn, stared at the men. Bulma felt her mouth open a little and her cheeks redden as she looked at Vegeta; he was so handsome, with his tanned skin and dark eyes, the angles of his lean face and muscular frame. Chi-Chi gazed at Kakkarot, at his wild black hair and dark, kind eyes, his lean face and tall, well-muscled body, and felt herself blush.

"Now," Vegeta said, pulling himself back together, "let's try it again. Why were you two out there alone, without horses or supplies?" The two women stared at them, tight-lipped. They stared back for a few long, silent moments. "All right, you're running from something. What is it?"

"We might help you if it isn't anything illegal," Kakkarot observed. The women remained silent for a few moments more, and then Bulma let out a long breath.

"We're actually running from two separate things. I'm the daughter of the Briefs family, a wealthy family, and my parents arranged a marriage for me to a man I despised. He seemed charming when others were around, but whenever we were alone, he'd threaten me, and once he grabbed my wrist and held it so tight it bruised. So I ran," Bulma admitted.

"My family is very poor," Chi-Chi spoke next, her eyes down-cast. "My father owed a great deal in taxes. A few weeks ago, the tax man came when my father wasn't home. I told him to come back later, and started to turn away from him. . .he hit me over the head and kidnaped me, and then sold me to a bordello." Kakkarot looked horrified, but Vegeta's face remained still and stony. "Bulma saved me from my first 'customer'. . .I was fighting him off when Bulma showed up and distracted him. We managed to overpower him, and then we ran out of town." Kakkarot drew in a slow breath; this explained her clothes, and why she looked nervous to be in a small tent with the two of them, and, for that matter, why she screamed, jumped, and ran when they first found them.

"I couldn't leave my best friend in a place like that," Bulma said modestly. "We've been on the run ever since." Kakkarot and Vegeta leaned toward each other to confer. The women couldn't make out what they were saying clearly, but they had a strong feeling these men wouldn't return them to their home town. After speaking for several minutes, the two men looked back to the two women.

"We won't report you or return you; you both had good reason to leave," Vegeta finally said. Both women breathed a sigh of relief.

"Are you headed anywhere?" Kakkarot asked gently. They shook their heads.

"Only away," Bulma admitted.

"And what were you going to do when you found a suitable place, hm? There aren't many jobs for single women, you know. You'd be lucky not to end up in the local whore house anyway," Vegeta said roughly. Bulma's eyes flashed blue fire, and he blinked.

"Who are you to say that to us!" Bulma demanded loudly, and Vegeta pulled back the tiniest bit, surprised at her outburst. "We have skills we can market, we will find_ something_. . .and you have no right to speak so cruelly to us!" A small smirk pulled up his lips; he'd never seen a woman with such fire before.

"I will never go back into one of those places again!" Chi-Chi added with venom. Vegeta gave a small grunt, his eyes still on Bulma, and Kakkarot cleared his throat.

"It's late; why don't we all get some sleep?" he said, hoping to make some peace.

"Our spare blankets are currently acting as shelter for the horses," Vegeta pointed out.

"We've been sleeping without blankets just fine, thank you," Bulma waved it off. Vegeta frowned a bit.

"We'll be okay," Chi-Chi agreed when she saw Kakkarot move to offer her his blanket. They blew out the lantern and found comfortable places to sleep. Less than an hour later, Vegeta woke up because of a strange sound. It took him a moment to place it; Bulma was shivering in her sleep. He looked at her for a few seconds, and then got up quietly. He wrapped his blanket snugly around her, and watched her until her shivers ceased. He touched one of her drying locks of hair for a moment, thinking about how beautiful she was, and then pulled back and went to his sleeping area. This woman was having a strange affect on him. He looked over to Kakkarot, only to see his fellow samurai getting up to put his blanket around the Chi-Chi woman. ((Well,)) he reasoned, ((at least I'm not going insane alone.))

When morning came, Bulma awoke and looked at the blanket in surprise. It smelled strongly of Vegeta, a rich, spicy, male scent she found surprisingly pleasing. She went to look at him, only to find that he wasn't in the tent. Neither was his companion. Chi-Chi was still asleep, and had gained a blanket as well. She woke her friend up and they stepped out of the tent to see the samurai already getting ready to leave. The two women quickly noted that no new camp fire had been started, so no breakfast had been eaten yet, though the cooking pot was out with some raw food in it. To thank the men for their kindnesses the night before, Bulma and Chi-Chi started breakfast as Vegeta and Kakkarot broke camp. It took a few minutes to find dry enough wood, but they managed it, and started a fire with little trouble. As the smell of cooking food filled the area, the two men paused for a moment to watch the two women. Now that they were dry and comfortable looking, they were even more beautiful. The soft breeze tossed their silken locks around, and the fire glowed off their skin. Kakkarot swallowed dryly, and Vegeta drew in a slow breath. Forcing his mind back onto the task at hand, Vegeta motioned Kakkarot to help him take down the tent. They started to dismantle it and the women looked over to them.

"Good morning!" Bulma called over.

"Good morning!" Chi-Chi said at the same time.

"Morning," Kakkarot said with a smile and a nod.

"Morning," Vegeta said more coolly.

"Breakfast will be ready shortly," Bulma told them.

"Good, I'm hungry," Vegeta answered. Bulma frowned a little at his rudeness. Vegeta and Kakkarot finished taking down the tent and stowed it back on Kakkarot's horse's back. Then they joined the two runaway women at the camp fire.

"Thank you for the blanket," Bulma said as she handed Vegeta a bowl of warm rice and vegetables. He went to take it, touching her hand as he did. The more he looked at her, the more familiar she seemed.

"You're welcome," he said as he took his bowl and pulled out his chopsticks from a bag on his side. The chopsticks were made from rich red wood and had gold carvings in them. Bulma stared at the beautiful eating utensils in surprise. ((He must be someone very important and wealthy to have chopsticks like that.)) she thought. "Honestly, thinking you'd be fine without blankets when you were soaked to the bones with cold rain!" Vegeta continued.

"I didn't want to impose more than I was! Besides, you were wet, too!" Bulma snapped, and turned her head away. Vegeta smiled against his bowl as he watched her. He had never met a woman who would argue with him before; it felt good. He also loved how her eyes flashed and her cheeks flushed when she was angry. All the women he had met were so subservient and quiet they annoyed him. It wasn't that he didn't want an obedient wife, he wanted a woman who would make his life interesting, who had a mind and spirit of her own to add to his.

"Thank you for your blanket," Chi-Chi said, looking at Kakkarot almost shyly.

"Not a problem," Kakkarot said smiling at her gently.

"Say, you never answered my question last night. Why are you two out here by yourselves?" Bulma suddenly turned back to Vegeta. Rude as he was, he was still attractive, and she had the feeling he was being gruff to cover up how he really felt. Besides, he looked more familiar all the time. She had no idea where she could've met him before, she certainly didn't remember meeting him before.

"We're sort of running away, too," Kakkarot chuckled. "Except we aren't running from home, we're running from a marriage meeting!"

"Marriage meeting?" Bulma and Chi-Chi echoed.

"I'm supposed to go to the Takanama province to meet their princess and discuss marriage possibilities. But I've met her before, and I already know I don't want her for a wife," Vegeta explained gruffly.

"Meet the princess. . .? You're a prince!" Bulma just about jumped to her feet in surprise. Vegeta smirked as he handed her his empty bowl to refill.

"That's right, I'm Prince Vegeta of the Vegetasei Province," he said, his eyes glinting. Bulma took the bowl, though she was clearly unhappy at being treated like a servant, refilled it, and handed it back to him.

"I'm his strongest samurai, Kakkarot," Kakkarot added. "With everything that happened last night, we didn't think to introduce ourselves."

"I'm Bulma Briefs," Bulma said, bowing deeply.

"Chi-Chi Ox," Chi-Chi also bowed deep.

"Sit up, I prefer seeing your face," Vegeta said as he put his hand under Bulma's chin. She looked up and into his eyes, and they felt themselves turn red for a moment when they realized what he'd said. Bulma felt her heart speed up.

"You, too," Kakkarot said, and Chi-Chi sat up and smiled at him. Vegeta cleared his throat uncomfortably.

"We'll take you to the next town on our horses, and then we'll decide what to do next," Vegeta told them, and they all nodded. They could live with that.


	3. Chapter 3

Oh Great Dragon Shenlon, grant me my wish! I wish to own all rights to Dragon Ball Z! And, I wish for a real-life Goku and Vegeta to play with as I please! What? What do you mean I can't have either! Why not! Surely something so simple isn't beyond your abilities! But. . .! Oh, fine! Be that way! I guess this means it still belongs to Mr. Toriyama and the rest.

A Promise of Always

by

NansJns

Ch.2

It took only a few minutes to get everything packed and stowed again. Kakkarot helped Chi-Chi up onto his horse, and then climbed on in front of her. He smiled a little at the feel of her arms as they went around him. He glanced to his prince, who was still rubbing his own horse down to help dry him after the previous night's rain.

"He's beautiful," Bulma observed as she came up to the red stallion. She reached out her hand for him to smell, and he snuffled it a few times, then snorted. Taking that to mean she was okay, she pet his nose and neck.

"Thank you. But don't get the wrong idea, you'll be riding with Kakkarot, too. Auroris won't let anyone but me ride. . ." Vegeta started, then stopped as he watched Bulma struggle into the high saddle. It wasn't the most graceful thing he'd ever seen, but she did it, and Auroris, who had never let anyone other than Kakkarot even get near him before, stood perfectly still while she did, and simply tossed his head once she was comfortably seated.

"There. What were you saying?" Bulma looked down at Vegeta, who stared back in shock. He went up to Auroris's head and looked at him curiously.

"Are you going soft on me?" he asked the animal quietly. Auroris twitched his ears and snorted in response. Vegeta shook his head and climbed up behind Bulma. "This is a first," he told her quietly.

"A first for what?" Bulma asked, looking back at him, and he had to fight not to lose himself in her eyes, as she had to fight not to lose herself in his.

"Auroris has never let anyone but me ride him before," Vegeta told her. "He's too wild."

"Doesn't seem very wild to me," Bulma answered, petting the stallion's neck again. She felt more than heard Vegeta's chuckle.

"That's because he isn't moving yet," he said by her ear.

"Which way are we going?" Kakkarot's voice suddenly cut in.

"We came from that way," Bulma said, pointing off to the south.

"Well, that way, and to the left," Chi-Chi added, pointing to the more accurate direction.

"All right, then," Vegeta answered with a nod of his head. "Follow me, Kakkarot!" he said over his shoulder, and then gave a cry that sent Auroris flying northward. Bulma let out a surprised cry as they went.

"Hold on tight," Kakkarot said to Chi-Chi. "Horushu, go!" Kakkarot called to his own horse, and Chi-Chi's grip tightened as the horse ran after his companion.

"Are you crazy! Slow down!" Bulma yelled at Vegeta.

"I told you he was wild! If you don't like it, you can get off and walk!" Vegeta answered, and they went into a long argument that quickly veered from the original subject of the speed of the horse.

By the time they reach the town that afternoon, Bulma and Chi-Chi had gotten used to the speed, and were even enjoying it, so long as their male companions kept the horses in check. They had even laughed and yelled when Vegeta and Kakkarot made their horses jump over a fallen tree. When the town came into view they slowed down and rode into it at a slow trot. They dismounted when they neared the market place and Vegeta and Kakkarot led the horses by their reigns.

"Well, now, what have we here?" a large man with straight, dark brown hair said as he eyed the women in their dirty, torn kimonos. "Such pretty young women should have nicer things to wear. I know a quick way for you to make some yen. . ." he smiled nastily as he grabbed Bulma's wrist and pulled her closer. "Yeah, you and your friend are nice."

"Let go of me, you disgusting creep!" Bulma yelled at him.

"Huh. You're a bit temperamental," he grunted. Then Vegeta grabbed his arm and pulled Bulma from his grasp. "Hey! What are you doing!" the man snapped at Vegeta. He had over a head's worth of height on the prince, and had no idea who he was looking at, and thus assumed the advantage was his. Vegeta's face was stone, but fire flickered in his eyes. He physically threw the man into the crowd, sending him sprawling onto his backside. He stared at the prince in surprise, and then Vegeta drew his katana.

"Apologize for the insult to her honor," Vegeta said lowly.

"And hers," Kakkarot added, his own sword out, as he motioned to Chi-Chi. The man spit to the side.

"Honor? A couple of street women? Don't be. . ." he started, and then metal was against his throat.

"They aren't street women, they've been traveling. Now, apologize before you have to learn to breathe through a hole in your throat," Vegeta hissed. The man only stared back like Vegeta was the one who was acting inappropriately. The blade began to cut his skin and he jumped.

"I'm sorry! I meant no insult! Please, forgive me, ladies!" he said quickly. Bulma and Chi-Chi 'humphed' in response, but it was enough for Vegeta to back off. He and Kakkarot re-sheathed their swords and the man ran off into the crowd.

"You need new kimonos," Vegeta said as he turned back to the women. He wasn't sure why he had reacted the way he did, he barely knew this woman. He assured himself it was only because of how strongly he believed in honor, and there was no honor in treating a woman that way. Bulma smiled at him gently.

"Thank you for saving me," she said. "As for kimonos. . .we have very little money left. That's why we were in the forest last night and not an inn. We barely have enough for our next meals." Chi-Chi nodded sadly, pulling lightly on her revealing clothes. Vegeta looked at Bulma evenly, trying not to be affected by her eyes and face.

"You're welcome. Kakkarot, we brought some gold with us, did we not?" Vegeta turned to his trusted samurai.

"Yeah, for food and inns along the way. More than enough," Kakkarot smiled and nodded.

"Fine, then, lets find someone selling kimonos," Vegeta said, and Bulma and Chi-Chi glanced at each other happily. They could finally get some clean, whole clothes!

They chose some simple kimonos that were good for traveling, a plum purple one for Bulma and a dark yellow one for Chi-Chi. Once the kimonos and some supplies were bought, they went to the public bath house so they could all bathe and Bulma and Chi-Chi could change. They went to the separate areas for men and women and stripped down, Bulma and Chi-Chi throwing their old clothes aside. As was the tradition, they washed the dirt and mud from their travels off of themselves before climbing into the bathtubs.

"Goodness, dearies, it looks like you've had a time of it," an elderly woman said as Bulma and Chi-Chi sank into the tub.

"Yeah, we have," Bulma nodded.

"Your husbands should have found a better way to travel than just those horses. It was terrible for your kimonos and skin," a younger woman observed.

"Husbands?" Bulma blinked.

"Husbands?" Chi-Chi echoed.

"Yes," the young, red-haired woman nodded. "I saw you come in with them - two handsome young samurai." Bulma and Chi-Chi first paled, then blushed.

"They're. . .not our husbands," they said slowly. The other women stared at them for a moment.

"Fiances, then? You didn't treat them like brothers. . ." the woman tried again. Bulma and Chi-Chi shook their heads.

"Neither, actually. . .um. . .they. . .uh. . ." Bulma fumbled for an explanation as the women around them got slightly darker looks, starting to assume the worst.

"Are you still courting?" one woman offered, and it seemed as good a story as any.

"Yeah, we're all still courting," Bulma nodded. "We were traveling and got caught in the rain last night." The women all seemed to relax then.

"Oh, you poor things," the elderly woman said.

On the men's side, Vegeta and Kakkarot settled into the warm tub with soft sighs of contentment.

"Feels good to get all that mud off," Vegeta observed, though his face showed some discomfort.

"Sure does. This is a nice bathhouse, too. Brings back memories," Kakkarot stretched a bit, perfectly relaxed.

"You've been in a public bathhouse before?" Vegeta asked, surprised.

"Yeah, haven't. . .oh, no, I suppose you haven't," Kakkarot sat up straight. "My father would bring my brother and me to a bathhouse when we were small, and we'd get into water fights and bug everybody else. Mom would've joined us in the fights, I'm sure, but she was on the women's side," he continued. Vegeta frowned.

"I get very tired of hearing how well your family gets along, Kakkarot," Vegeta grumbled. Kakkarot frowned then.

"Just because you and your dad don't always see eye to eye. . .," Kakkarot muttered. "So, you never bathed with your parents when you were a small child?"

"I'm sure someone bathed me when I was too small to do it myself, but I don't know who. . .and I only remember my father being with me once, and not on purpose. He just happened to decide to take a bath while I was already in the royal baths. He actually offered to wash my back, but I said no," Vegeta said, just loudly enough for only Kakkarot to hear. Kakkarot let out a little, thoughtful hum. Vegeta strove to relax, but he just wasn't used to bathing with so many other people around. The royal baths were big, but typically empty except for the servants. That time with his father was the only time in his memory of bathing with anyone. For a moment, his mind filled with the image of Bulma, and bathing with her, but he quickly shook it free, startled by the thought. He had only met the loud-mouthed, disobedient woman the other night! So what if she was the most interesting, exciting, and lovely woman he had ever seen? That was no reason. . .Vegeta blinked and splashed some water in his face. He'd never felt like this before, and it confused and worried him.

Bulma and Chi-Chi stepped into the lobby of the bathhouse feeling much better all around, and looked for their new friends. A few minutes later, Vegeta and Kakkarot emerged from the men's side, and froze for a brief moment as they saw the ladies clean and in their new kimonos. They managed to start moving again when the women saw them, and moved up to their sides.

"Let's see if there's a decent restaurant in this place," Vegeta said, keeping his eyes off Bulma. "I'm starved."

"Sounds good to me," Bulma replied, curious as to why he seemed to be trying not to look at her. They walked out of the bath house, fetched their horses, and headed down the street.

"That kimono suits you," Kakkarot said quietly to Chi-Chi.

"Thank you," Chi-Chi answered.

"I smell beef and chicken," Vegeta suddenly said, turning to the right. Bulma inhaled, but smelled only dust, grass, and people.

"I don't smell anything," Bulma shook her head.

"Your sense of smell probably isn't as strong as mine. This way," Vegeta shrugged her off.

"Oh, yeah, I smell it, too," Kakkarot observed, and Bulma and Chi-Chi balked.

"How can you possibly. . .!" Bulma started.

"Our people have better senses than most. Don't get angry with us just because yours are weak!" Vegeta snapped.

"How dare you! I have some of the best eyesight in Japan, and I hear perfectly! Just because I can't smell food in a large crowd doesn't mean my senses are weak!" Bulma snarled at him.

"Well, obviously your sense of smell is. . ." Vegeta prodded, and they flew into another argument. They had escalated to yelling as they came to the restaurant, a small building near the outskirts of the village. It was actually a combination inn and restaurant, and the smells emanating from it were very promising. Vegeta and Bulma continued their verbal spar over the meal, and had settled into a few quick barbs every other word as Vegeta and Kakkarot arranged for some rooms for the night. After the unpleasant stay in the rain, they all wanted a warm bed for that night, and since the next village was close to two days' ride away, they decided to stay where they were for the day, and explored the village to pass the time. The brief stay also gave the horses time to rest. Without actually talking about it, they had all somehow reached the conclusion that the four of them would travel together a while longer.

They traveled together for weeks, going from village to village, and across several provinces. Bulma and Chi-Chi became completely used to the speed Vegeta and Kakkarot preferred to ride at, and liked it. Bulma and Vegeta argued frequently, but it hadn't taken long for Bulma to realize Vegeta enjoyed locking wits with her. At times, he was obviously trying to goad her into a fight. In one town they came to, the people were having a small Shogi tournament. Bulma happily told Vegeta about what a good player she was, and Vegeta indicated that he was probably better. After arguing the point for a few moments, they fetched a board to play with. Five hours and fifty games later, the score was Vegeta 20, Bulma 20, and 10 stalemates. Kakkarot and Chi-Chi had watched them while they played, until Chi-Chi decided she wanted to go to the tea house, and Kakkarot followed after her. When the final score came up with Bulma's last victory, she smiled as she held up her winning piece.

"It seems we're evenly matched, my prince," she chuckled.

"Yes," Vegeta agreed quietly, a small smile gracing his lips, "it does."

They grew closer as time passed, and for a time, Vegeta filled with the wish to just stay on this journey with her forever; he even thought about getting a boat and crossing the sea with her, but he knew he couldn't. He had to go home eventually, to gain his promised throne and power. He knew, though, what his father would think of Bulma. The daughter of rich parents or no, she wasn't of any noble blood, and that automatically dropped her off his father's list of possibilities. Vegeta was at a loss for the first time in his life; he could openly defy his father and risk the anger of all his people, or go along with his father and lose the one woman in all Japan, in all the world, he wanted for his own. Bulma didn't know what to do, she was in love with the prince, but she was a commoner. He was such a perfect match for her personality, and he actually liked her temper and that she had a mind all her own. She impressed him repeatedly with her ability to build things. She knew she'd never find another man like that, and the idea of losing him tore her heart.

They were still riding basically aimlessly, staying only to the north and east, to avoid the Takanama Province (though they were all pretty sure they'd passed it some time ago) and to keep from going back to Bulma and Chi-Chi's home province of KapuKopu, when they came to a small village nestled at the base of some mountains. The people were in an uproar when they arrived, many packing up and getting ready to run from the village.

"What is going on here?" Vegeta demanded of a man who was throwing things into a cart. The man looked at him strangely for a moment, until he realized they were strangers.

"You chose a bad time to visit here, strangers. The great dragon Shenlon is angry for some reason!" the man answered.

"Great dragon?" Chi-Chi repeated.

"What dragon?" Bulma said.

"This area is protected by a huge, emerald dragon with ruby eyes named Shenlon. Normally, he is kind, and keeps away invaders. But something has angered him - he's been attacking the village!" the man explained. "Get out of here as fast as those horses can take you!"

"Emerald and rubies? Are you being attacked by a statue?" Vegeta spat, annoyed by the man's seeming cowardice.

"Vegeta, gently. If the dragon is really huge, he has reason to be afraid," Bulma whispered to him, and Vegeta muttered softly to himself. Even with her own temper, Bulma had taken to acting as a steadying influence for him.

"That is just how we describe him, sir. His scales are green and his eyes are red. . .and oh, Kami, here he comes!" the man's voice rose with fear, and he climbed into his cart and sent it flying down the rode. They looked up to see something huge coming from the west, the sky darkening around it as it came. It took only a few moments before the enormous green dragon was over the village, and the foursome abruptly split apart to make a smaller target. The dragon roared and grunted, letting out a stream of fire across the sky. As the man had said, his scales were green and his eyes were red, and he had antler-like horns on his head and a mouth full of sharp teeth. His body had to be at least three miles long, and slender as he coiled across the sky. He dove downward twice, and then turned to fly away, two women screaming from his claws.

"VEGEETAAA! HEELP!" Bulma shrieked as she was carried away.

"KAKKAROOOT!" Chi-Chi howled at the same time from Shenlon's other claw. They reached, uselessly, toward the ground, where Vegeta and Kakkarot still stood, shocked and angry.

"BULMA!" Vegeta bellowed as he leapt onto Auroris's back and made him run after the dragon.

"CHI-CHI!" Kakkarot nearly howled in rage as he mounted Horushu and sent him after both the dragon and his prince. The two samurai tore across the countryside, quietly grateful the dragon was so big that it was never out of sight, even when it landed in the mountains.

Well, who else would I have as a dragon in a Dragon Ball Z fic? ;).

Horushu - a play on the word horseshoe.

KapuKopu - a slight reworking of "Capsule Corp." ;).

Shogi - Japanese Chess.

I take comments! 


	4. Chapter 4

I still don't own DBZ, (sniff), and I'm not making money on this anyway.

A Promise of Always

by

NansJns

Ch.3

Bulma and Chi-Chi screamed and cried as they strove to free themselves from the massive dragon's claws. Why had he taken them? Where was he taking them? Bulma had heard stories from travelers, that some dragons in foreign lands were known for stealing women and eating them. She'd never heard of Japanese dragons doing that, but that didn't mean it was impossible. The dragon dove downward and into a wide cave. After passing through a short stone tunnel, they came out in an enormous cavern - the mountain was hollow, shaped to make a good den for Shenlon. Several small piles of treasure were set around, with a hefty pile of treasure to one side, and fresh animals bones lay near a small hole in the wall, apparently awaiting disposal. Shenlon landed on the treasure and made himself comfortable, as though it was only there to serve as bedding. Shenlon put the two frightened women down in the center of his coils to keep them from running.

"Calm down," he said in a deep, booming voice like thunder. "I have no intention of harming you."

"You can talk!" they both jumped. "You can talk!" they blinked as it sank in a little deeper.

"Why did you kidnap us!" Bulma demanded quickly, her eyes darting between Shenlon's face and the walls of scales around her.

"What do you want?" Chi-Chi asked simultaneously.

"Actually, I want the help of those samurai you were with," Shenlon answered calmly.

"Huh?" both women blinked.

Vegeta and Kakkarot spurred their horses faster than they had ever gone before, tearing up small pieces of grass and dirt as they covered the miles between the village and the mountains the dragon had landed in. It seemed the village was on one end of a long mountain range, and the dragon's den was on the other. The speed of the dragon seemed impossible, it had covered the distance in mere moments while it would take them a few hours. The sounds of Bulma's screams and her terrified face still filled Vegeta's mind, driving him into a blind fury at the dragon. The dragon's attack had been so sudden, he hadn't even realized she'd been taken until she screamed. ((If she is harmed, at all, when I find that dragon, I will kill it myself and have its head as a prize!)) Vegeta swore to himself quietly as he watched the mountains loom slowly closer. Unknown to the prince, and beyond his care at the moment, was that Kakkarot felt much the same as he did, though he was thinking of Chi-Chi.

When they finally reached the mountains, Auroris and Horushu were both too exhausted to move another step, so they were left at the mountain's foot while the two samurai began to scale the brown and gray peak. Fueled by their anger and fear for the women, they climbed up the steep side of the mountain quicker than what was truly safe, aiming for the only cave big enough to permit the dragon entrance to the mountain. They reached it with skinned and dirty hands and knees, and climbed into it slowly with their katanas drawn. They could see the den beyond the other side easily enough, but only the occasional flash of a green-scaled tail-tip told them Shenlon was inside. They inched down the stone tunnel carefully, not wanting to alert the dragon to their arrival, until they reached the end of it and realized it was a few hundred feet off the ground.

"What do we do now, my prince?" Kakkarot whispered as he looked at the distant floor. Vegeta was growling quietly.

"There has to be a way down! We can scale down like we scaled up!" Vegeta answered, already crouching down to do so. Kakkarot was a little less certain of that plan; the wall looked almost perfectly smooth. If the distance wasn't so great, he would have been willing to try jumping, but scaling simply didn't look possible. Not to mention another large problem with that idea.

"But won't that leave us in plain view of the dragon?" Kakkarot asked softly. Vegeta frowned; he wasn't wrong. He glanced around quickly and spotted Shenlon still curled up by the far wall, his tail lazily swing back and forth across the den, but there was no sign of Bulma or Chi-Chi. Straining his sensitive ears, he could almost hear muffled female voices.

"So what do you suggest, Kakkarot?" Vegeta asked back, obviously losing his patience. Before Kakkarot could answer, a deep, booming voice cut in.

"You could ask for a hand," Shenlon said as his tail slid underneath the cave mouth, making a clean step and slide to get to the den floor. The two samurai jerked in surprise. They glanced to each other, gave a short nod, then jumped onto the tail and slid down it, jumping off when they were near the ground.

"Where is she, dragon? The blue-haired woman you stole - give her back before I--!" Vegeta barked, his katana pointed to the large face.

"Before you _what_, Little Man?" Shenlon chuckled. The sword was too small to hurt him, unless it went into his eye, and his head was high enough up that it was unlikely.

"Where's the woman with the raven hair?" Kakkarot demanded, more than willing to help his prince kill this beast.

"Vegeta!"

"Kakkarot!" two small voices called from somewhere in Shenlon's coils.

"Relax, they're both fine. I have not harmed them," Shenlon said as he reached into the center of his coils and pulled the two women up in one paw. They looked at each other in relief and joy. "And I have no intention of harming them, if you agree to my terms."

"Terms? What terms?" Vegeta said evenly, his anger barely in check.

"I've watched you for some time, and I know how strong and skilled you are. I want you to find something for me, since you can go where I cannot," Shenlon answered, and pulled something else up from his treasure pile with his other front paw. He set down the treasure in front of them - four orange crystal balls with red stars on their sides, which flashed gold every few seconds. They would fill a human palm completely, but looked very small next to Shenlon. The two samurai and two women stared at the magical treasures quietly, unsure of what they had to do with what Shenlon wanted.

"What are these?" Vegeta asked. "And what do they have to do with our finding something for you?"

"There are supposed to be seven of these magic dragon balls. Three have been stolen. I want you to find those three," Shenlon explained.

"You. . .want your balls back?" Kakkarot said slowly, and silence followed for a moment.

"Was that necessary, Kakkarot?" Vegeta muttered to him.

"Don't _make_ me breathe fire on you!" Shenlon said at the same time. Kakkarot laughed uncomfortably as a drop of sweat went down his cheek. It just seemed like the thing to say at the time. "Now, for an extra incentive. . ." Shenlon turned back to the subject at hand, and proceeded to drop a sizable bag of gold coins in front of the two samurai. "You'll get three more like that if you bring the balls back." Vegeta looked at the gold for a moment; he didn't really need money, though their travel supply was nearly diminished. He looked again at Bulma in the dragon's paw.

"All right, we'll find these dragon balls for you - if you let the women come with us," Vegeta said coolly. Kakkarot felt a quick twinge of relief that his prince had asked for both women, and not just the one he preferred. Shenlon eyed him carefully.

"Do you swear you will find them, and bring them back to me, on your honor as a samurai?" Shenlon answered.

"I do," Vegeta said, tilting his head up to show his inner pride.

"Very well then," Shenlon said, and put the women down. Bulma ran into Vegeta's arms, relieved at being safe, and happy to see him again. He wrapped his free arm around her, his sword arm still holding his katana. Chi-Chi went into Kakkarot's willing embrace, and both whispered a prayer of thanks. The men looked to Shenlon again as he put a green jewel on a chain on top of the pile of gold he had already offered them. "This magic tracker will tell you when you are near the balls. Now, go." Vegeta and Kakkarot sheathed their swords and they gathered up the treasure and the tracker. Shenlon lifted them back to the cave mouth so they could leave. "Remember this - the magic of the balls only works when all seven are together, so do not think you can do anything with the three you'll find," Shenlon added as they left. They nodded in understanding, and left quickly.

They climbed down the mountain slower than they climbed up, mostly because Bulma and Chi-Chi weren't really dressed for climbing rocks. When they managed to get back down, they found Auroris and Horushu laying down in the wild grass, still breathing heavily from running to the mountain. The horses neighed and snorted when they saw all of their friends coming back.

"They still need to rest," Kakkarot observed.

"Auroris, can you walk?" Vegeta asked his red steed, who dropped his head as if to say no. "We'll have to wait a bit, then." Vegeta sighed. They all sat down and ate some of the remaining food supplies while they waited for the horses to recover.

Dusk had settled heavily across the land when Auroris and Horushu finally stood back up, and Vegeta and Kakkarot helped their women up into the saddles. Vegeta held up the green jewel and watched it sway from side to side for a few moments before it glowed and pointed back to Shenlon's den.

"It works, but we'll need to get away from those other four before we can track down the missing three," Vegeta observed as the jewel seemed to tug on its chain as it pointed to the nearest dragon balls. He climbed up behind Bulma and nudged his horse into a relaxed trot. Kakkarot and Chi-Chi followed.

Once they were back to the village Shenlon once protected, the jewel began pointing in a different direction. After a good night's sleep, they began to follow the direction the jewel pointed to, which, strangely, was almost back the way they had come. The jewel wobbled and jerked as it sought out the stolen globes, leading them once again across the country side.

Emperor Vegeta was going over some documents concerning treaties and trade when the messenger arrived. The messenger was a young man, most likely in his late teens, with dark skin and hair, and light brown eyes. The youth bowed before Vegetasei's lord and then offered him the parchment he carried.

"I come from the Takanama Province, by request of My Lord Bamu," the boy told him, and Emperor Vegeta nodded in acknowledgment as he took the message and started reading.

"Has my son caused that big an uproar?" he muttered.

"Yes, but not in the way you're thinking, my lord," the boy answered lightly, and Emperor Vegeta arched an eyebrow at him and continued to read. At the end, he stared at it for a few moments in confusion.

"What do they mean, my son isn't there? I sent him and his guard weeks ago!" the Emperor snapped harshly.

"Yes, my lord, so we all assumed. . .but he never arrived in the Takanama Province, and we were hoping you might know if he had another stop along the way. . ." the boy took a small step back, sensing the Emperor's growing anger.

"Another stop! No! I told him to go straight to the Takanama Province!" Emperor Vegeta said, his eyes blazing. What had his fool son done this time? He had held high hopes that the length of the stay and silence from his son was an indication he had taken a liking to the princess of the province, but if he had never arrived. . .where had he gone! A sudden bolt of panic struck the old Emperor's heart; what if his son had gotten into a battle with bandits, or worse, and had been killed? He shook the fear off quickly; that was nonsense! His son was the strongest fighter in Japan, he couldn't be killed so easily; and it wasn't like he was alone, either. Kakkarot was almost as strong as the prince. So, that left one other option - the prince had run off. "I will send out men to find him. Tell your Emperor that as soon as he's found, the prince will be reprimanded and then sent to the Takanama Province as promised," he told the boy as he quickly wrote a message of apology to the rulers of Takanama, along with the vow he had just made.

"Yes, my lord," the boy nodded, took the new note, and left. Emperor Vegeta watched him go, and then sighed and shook his head. ((My son. . .strong, proud, smart, with all the promise of a great ruler. . . if only he wasn't so pigheaded! What am I going to do with him?)) he thought, clenching and unclenching his jaw. Then he stalked to the training grounds, where several of his samurai were sparring.

A youth with long, spiky hair clashed swords with a much older, taller, mustached bald man, while others watched the duel of skills. The youth almost had the older man, but he let out a burst of shear brute strength that sent the youth sprawling.

"All of your fancy moves are worthless without strength to back them up," the older man said.

"Strength alone won't get you far," the youth snapped in return.

"Ease off, son. You almost had him that time - next time he won't be so lucky," the youth's father, who bore a striking resemblance to Kakkarot, said as he helped his son up.

"Raditz, Nappa," the Emperor said, grabbing their attentions. The youth, Raditz, snapped to full attention, as did the older man he'd been fighting, Nappa.

"Yes, my Emperor?" they said as all present bowed to him.

"I need some assistance. It seems my son never arrived in Takanama," the Emperor said coolly.

"What?" Raditz's head snapped up. Nappa stared blankly.

"Neither he, nor his guard, ever showed," The Emperor repeated. "I'm sending you two and some others out to find them."

"There's been no word?" Raditz's father asked slowly.

"No, Bardock, there has not. And I assure you, your youngest son will receive punishment for failing in his duties," the Emperor said with a scowl, and then left to get the rest of the 'rescue team' together. Raditz turned to his father.

"Why wouldn't they be there?" he wondered aloud.

"Let's hope it's simply because the prince didn't want to go, and nothing more serious," Bardock answered. Raditz gave a nod. He didn't always get along with his little brother, but he was still his brother, and he didn't want him to be dead or hurt.

"Come on, kid, let's get ready. I can't believe the prince would pull something like this," Nappa grunted as he headed off to change and pack. Raditz went to do the same with his father behind him.

"Missing?" Okarana, Bardock's wife and mother of his sons, stared at them in shock.

"Well, they aren't where they're supposed to be, and no one knows where they are; that's missing in the common use of the word," Bardock answered, and received an icy look from his wife.

"This is no time to joke!" Okarana snapped. Then she turned to Raditz. "Raditz, I wish you good luck in your search for the prince and your brother. I want both of you to come back safely, all right?" she said gently. Raditz nodded as he put some things into a bag to take with him.

"I'm sure my brother and the prince are fine. They just got side tracked. It didn't take a genius to see that Vegeta had no interest in going to Takanama," Raditz answered. "And my brother isn't the sort to insist his prince do anything he doesn't want to."

"Even so," Okarana said. Raditz finished packing and went to get his horse.

"Don't be too hard on your brother when you find him, all right?" Bardock said before Raditz stepped out of their house. Raditz glanced over his shoulder at them and gave a quick smirk.

"I won't be any harder on him than I normally am," he said, and went on his way. His parents looked at each other for a moment. They weren't sure if that was a good thing or a bad thing.

The tracking jewel led them to another village surrounded by rice fields. They walked past the houses as the jewel levitated horizontally, pointing the way. Many people saw the magic talisman and backed away, uncertain of their purpose. The jewel suddenly glowed and practically pulled itself out of Vegeta's hand, trying to go toward a young couple, no older than he and Bulma. Vegeta walked up to them as the green jewel pointed to a round pouch on the woman's side.

"What is that thing?" the woman asked, backing a way.

"A tracker. You have an orange crystal ball in your pouch - take it out," Vegeta said coldly.

"It's stolen property," Bulma stepped in, hoping to ease the situation. The woman looked stunned and pulled the ball out of her pouch.

"But how can that be? You said you bought it for me!" she turned to the young man she was with.

"B-but I did! From that merchant who passed through the village a few weeks ago!" the young man objected quickly. "Are you sure it's stolen?" he asked, turning to Vegeta.

"Positive. And not just stolen, but stolen from a dragon," Bulma said before Vegeta could answer. The two looked down at the shiny orb with a mixture of regret and panic, and then she handed it over to Vegeta.

"Thank you," Vegeta said, and walked away. Kakkarot moved forward and found out how much the boy had spent on the ball, and then gave him that much out of the gold they'd been given.

"Well, if they're all this easy, we'll be done in no time," Bulma observed happily as she admired the ball.

"And then we can move on to more important things," Vegeta agreed.

"Say, did the merchant have any more of those balls?" Kakkarot asked, drawing Vegeta's attention back to the couple.

"Yes, now that you mention it. . .he had two more," the young man nodded. "They were stolen too, huh?"

"Yes, they were. Which way did the merchant go?" Vegeta asked, coming back over.

"He left heading south," the young man answered. "That's all I know."

"All right, then," Vegeta pulled out the tracker again, and sure enough, it pointed south.

"Thank you, you've been helpful," Chi-Chi said politely to the couple with a small bow. The couple went on their way, and Vegeta, Bulma, Kakkarot, and Chi-Chi set off to look for the next ball.

Okarana - a play on "okra", a green vegetable.


	5. Chapter 5

Ah, no, DBZ still hasn't been signed over to me, and I'm still not getting paid.

A Promise of Always

by

NansJns

Ch.4

_"Promise for Always. . .?" "Promise for Always!"_ Two soft voices, echoing from somewhere far away. Vegeta twitched and stirred in his sleep as the voices played through his ears; voices that were familiar. He woke with a small jerk, and sat up to clear his head. He looked around the dark inn room he was sharing with Kakkarot and rubbed his head. He had dreamed something strange, but he was already forgetting what it was. He recalled something about a promise, but nothing else, not even what the promise was. He sighed a little and laid back down. Bulma and Chi-Chi were in the next room over, and he could hear Bulma's soft breathing when he concentrated. The woman was having an amazing affect on him, one he didn't quite understand. Kakkarot, he knew, was completely gone on Chi-Chi; the love-struck fool would likely ask her to marry him soon. Vegeta grunted and rolled over. He had no right to mock Kakkarot for such a thing; he was no better, and he knew it. He wanted Bulma for his empress, he knew it now, but what of his father? He wondered, as he started to drift back to sleep, if maybe he could reason with his father, convince him that Bulma was the best choice. . .and then he buried his head in his pillow, knowing that would happen around the same time that his horse sprouted wings and started talking while he flew. Bulma rolled over in her sleep, aware, somehow, on some level, that Vegeta was restless. The small, clay-bead and cherry-seed necklace she always wore when she traveled rattled softly, the half-stone pendant in the center of it landing on the mattress when she finished moving.

They left the town early in the morning, the magic tracker continuing to point south when it wasn't pointing to the ball they already had. The tale of a traveling merchant with self-proclaimed rare and valuable treasures cropped up in a couple of the places they went through, and all agreed the man had gone on. They hadn't yet located anyone else who bought one of the orange crystal balls, though a few people did remember seeing such items in the merchant's cart.

"Well, you can say this for that 'merchant,' he wasn't a total idiot," Vegeta grumbled as they rode on. "He moved as far as he could from Shenlon after taking the balls."

"The question is, does he still have the other two, or has he sold them like the first one?" Bulma sighed, tired from the journey.

"At the rate and direction we're going, we'll be back in Vegetasei before long," Kakkarot observed as they trotted down the worn path, the horses side by side.

"It's been a while since you were home, hasn't it?" Chi-Chi asked lightly.

"Months. . .uh-oh. . ." Kakkarot blinked suddenly as he realized just how long it had been.

"Something wrong, Kakkarot?" Vegeta asked.

"I just realized how long we've been traveling. Surely the Emperor of Takanama will have contacted your father to find out why you're not there by now," Kakkarot answered, looking to Vegeta. Vegeta hissed.

"Damn! You're right! And if he has, my father has most likely sent out soldiers to find us!" Vegeta gritted his teeth in annoyance. The last thing he needed or wanted was a band of his father's men on his tail when he still hadn't figured out how to present Bulma as his choice of wife.

"On the plus side, they won't know where to look," Bulma offered. "And I can rig up an alarm for when we camp."

"Can you?" Vegeta glanced at her.

"Well, it wouldn't be anything fancy, just something to rattle or ring when a trip wire was set off," Bulma said, her sharp mind already putting the alarm together. "I'll need a few supplies from the next village. . .hmm, maybe a net to slow them down while we get away. . ." Vegeta shook his head in quiet pleasure. The woman's mind never stopped amazing him. There was just one little problem.

"If my father has sent men out to find me, then they'll be going through every populated area for signs of us; meaning we'd better start avoiding villages and towns as much as we can," Vegeta said, frowning. He preferred a bed to the ground, especially with the rainy season on its way.

"That's a mighty big 'if'," Bulma said.

"Not that big. It's been close to three months since we left, and it only takes about two weeks to get to Takanama. They'll certainly want to know why Vegeta isn't there yet, and to find out, they would have sent someone to Emperor Vegeta. In fact, it's practically a guarantee that we're being tracked down right now," Kakkarot answered with a shake of his head.

"And my father probably gave them instructions to bring me straight back to Vegetasei," Vegeta said, his body tensing with bottled anger. "They won't let us finish getting Shenlon's treasure." Bulma placed a comforting hand on his arm. She knew his honor was at stake, he couldn't go home yet.

"All right, then, we camp from now on. Chi-Chi and I can go into town for anything we need, they won't be looking for us," Bulma said, and Chi-Chi nodded in agreement.

"That will work," Vegeta agreed, though he wasn't entirely certain they were safe, either. Bulma and Chi-Chi had also run away, and there had been people after them practically from the start. They had traveled so far that no one had found them, but now. . .what if she were found by someone hunting for her when he wasn't there to protect her?

Bulma got the pieces she needed for her alarms and set it up when they made camp that evening. Vegeta followed her, helping when she needed it, but mostly just watching her. Her hands moved quickly and gracefully as they put wire and bells into a kind of web around their camp, and Vegeta felt like he could watch her forever. He had given up trying to understand why he felt the way he did, and had settled into just trying to handle the feeling. Bulma bent over to test the tautness of a low wire, and her beaded necklace started to fall out of her kimono. Vegeta's eyes snapped straight to the piece of jewelry, but before the whole thing could slide out, Bulma caught it and pushed it back in. Without stopping to think, Vegeta moved to her quickly to try to see the necklace again; it had looked identical to his. His hands gripped her shoulders, making her look up into his eyes, their faces only a few inches apart. The necklace slipped from his mind as he fell deep into her blue eyes. Her lips looked so sweet, so inviting. . .he leaned forward to taste them as Bulma's eyes slid shut. He pulled her tightly to himself as he kissed her, savoring the wondrous feel of her and what they were doing. His control began slipping, and his hands began to feel her, and then tug on her kimono. It was improper, he knew; he should have her, have this, in a bed in a private room, but they couldn't have those things at the moment. He started to pull on her sash-tie, and she suddenly pushed him away. Vegeta almost fell over, the shove surprised him so much. He looked to Bulma in confusion, seeking an answer, and was greeted with sadness and regret in her eyes.

"I'm sorry," Bulma said, pulling her kimono back into place. "But I can't. . .my mother always told me that I should only give my body to my husband." Vegeta stared at her, a little surprised and a little disappointed. After a few seconds of thought, though, he understood completely. He hadn't told her he wished to marry her, since he wasn't sure it would happen, and it would be unfair of him to claim her if. . .if it didn't happen. His brows forked downward. He had had enough. She was the one he wanted, she was the one that would be best, he had no doubt of that. His father be damned, he would have Bulma for his empress, or he'd have no empress at all!

"Bulma. . ." Vegeta started.

"I know you're a prince, and could order me to, but, please, don't. . ." Bulma whispered, her voice a pool of conflicting emotions. Vegeta felt his jaw start to drop, but he caught it and brought it back up before Bulma could see it.

"I would _never_ force a woman, Bulma," Vegeta said harshly, insulted that she thought he would. "I was going to say I understood." Bulma saw the anger in his eyes, and felt a small, sick pit in her stomach.

"I didn't mean to say you would force me, Vegeta! I was. . .I was just. . .I don't know! It just came out! I didn't mean to insult you!" Bulma said quickly, hoping to make amends before he turned from her completely. Vegeta pressed his lips together, then sighed. In all the time they'd known each other, he had mainly displayed aggression and stubbornness; she'd had reason to believe he'd push, at least a little.

"I do understand, Bulma," he said quietly. Bulma let out a long breath, relief filling her body. "And I also wanted to say. . ."

"Is the alarm set up?" Kakkarot's voice shattered their moment as the samurai walked up to them. "You've been out here for a while. Is there a problem?" he asked. Vegeta turned on him in a small, barely-controlled fury.

"No, no problem!" Vegeta said lowly. Kakkarot took a step back, realizing very quickly he'd chosen a bad time to check on them.

"The alarm is just about ready, one more little tweak and it'll be perfect," Bulma told him, her voice slightly strained.

"Well, that's good. Ah, dinner is ready whenever you are," Kakkarot said quickly, and then hurried back to the middle of camp. Vegeta watched his friend and ally go, quietly cursing his timing and promising himself to pay him back in their next spar. ((That baka is going to be black and blue when I'm done with him . . .)) he thought.

"What were you saying, Vegeta?" Bulma touched his arm and pulled his attention back to her. Vegeta turned back to her, slightly comforted that she still wanted to finish what they were talking about. He reached out and stroked her cheek gently.

"You will make a fine empress," he said. Bulma's eyes widened.

"Say what?" she gasped.

"I want you for my empress, my wife," Vegeta answered.

"B-but I'm. . ." Bulma fumbled for a moment.

"All I've ever wanted, and the best choice I could possibly make. . .even if you aren't of noble blood," Vegeta cut her off. Bulma stared deep into his black eyes, and saw nothing but love and truth in them. She smiled, and showed him her own love in return.

"You'll have to teach me how to rule," she observed.

"It's not all that hard," Vegeta shrugged. Bulma laughed softly, and then embraced him. Vegeta went stiff for a second, then eased into the embrace with a small smile. "After we're finished with Shenlon and have returned to Vegetasei, I'll send a messenger to your parents, arrange things," he said softly into her hair.

"All right. I'm sure they won't object. My former fiancé, though. . ." Bulma bit her lower lip in a moment of concern.

"Can do nothing, don't worry about him," Vegeta snorted, and Bulma smiled, strangely comforted.

Raditz drank his small cup of Sake in one swallow. They'd been out a week, and had found only a few stories of some young samurai passing by on very fast horses. The descriptions matched his brother and the prince, but no one knew where they were now. The most anyone could tell him was they were heading north, then east. ((Little brother, where did you and the prince go? You'd better be all right, 'cause I'm kicking your butt when I find you. . .then Father will, then the Emperor, and. . .maybe it would be better for him if he stayed missing.)) Raditz thought, then laughed to himself. He truly did hope his brother was all right, but he also knew what his brother was in for when he came home. Nappa's raucous laughter broke Raditz's train of thought, and he glanced at his elder with a small sigh. Nappa had already drunk three full bottles of Sake, and was trying to get a young woman to accompany him to his bed. Radtiz shook his head in disgust; they were trying to find their prince, not sample every whore in every village in Japan. The soldiers that made up the rest of the retrieval team all sat around him, most eating, drinking, and talking, and a few sampling the women. Raditz grunted quietly. The prince and Kakkarot had been traveling for months, they could be in the farthest reaches of Japan by now.

"Why do you look so depressed, honorable samurai?" a female voice at his side suddenly asked. Raditz turned to see a young woman holding his dinner. She put it down with a small bow, and waited for the answer to her question.

"We're supposed to be looking for our missing prince and his guard, but we don't know where to look, and I seem to be the only one taking the task seriously," Raditz answered, snapping his chopsticks apart.

"Oh, my! What did these two look like? Perhaps they came here as well," she offered. Radtiz looked at her for a moment. He was ready to try anything.

"All right. The prince is short," Raditz made an approximation with one hand over the ground, "but has an attitude that makes him seem taller. He has long black hair that stands straight up like fire with a deep widow's peak, and hard black eyes. He's well-muscled, but compact, and has a deep voice. The guard, my brother, is taller, wider through the shoulders, with wild black hair that spikes in almost every direction. He has black eyes too, a wide face, a higher voice than the prince, and is as muscular as me," Raditz finished. "Well? Sound familiar at all?" The woman only had to think for a few seconds.

"Why, yes! Two men like that came through here weeks ago, with two women," she said with a nod.

"Women?" Raditz blinked. Maybe there was a mistake, his brother wasn't one to pick up prostitutes, and neither was the prince.

"Yes," the waitress nodded. "A woman with long black hair, brown eyes, and a yellow traveling kimono and a woman with long, light blue hair, deep blue eyes, and a plum traveling kimono. The black-haired woman and the tall man looked like courting lovers, but the blue-haired woman and the shorter man were fighting about something. That's why I remember them so well, the fight. That, and they were all strangers." Raditz slowly processed the information. Prince Vegeta and Kakkarot had been seen with two women they had not left with, and who they hadn't picked up here. So where had they come from? And why were they with the prince and his guard? The description of Kakkarot and the dark-haired woman acting like they were courting struck him as doubly odd. What in Kami's name was going on?

"Thank you, that was helpful . . .do you know where they went?" he asked, his mind in a dozen places at once.

"No, I only saw them while they were in here. Sorry," the waitress shook her head. "I have other tables to tend. Perhaps we can speak more later," she smiled coyly at him, but it went completely unnoticed.

"Perhaps," Raditz said, simply to be polite. He still had questions, but he knew she didn't have the answers. This whole situation had just gotten a whole lot stranger; the Prince ran off. . .with an unknown woman in tow? Raditz's brother, too? ((Baby Brother, what have you been up to?)) Raditz wondered as he put a bite of food in his mouth. ((We're missing something here.))

The tracking jewel led the two samurai and their women into a forest with no clear riding path. The trees stood over them like a fortress's towers, their leaf-covered branches blocking much of the sun. Vegeta and Kakkarot held Auroris and Horushu at a slow walk over the broken, root-covered ground for safety's sake, and watched as the jewel pointed ahead of them.

"The merchant must have sold another one, there's no way you could get a cart through here," Bulma observed as they passed single-file through two trees.

"Agreed, but who did he sell it to? A hermit?" Chi-Chi answered. "Who would be living out here?"

"Maybe he just dropped one of the balls and didn't notice," Kakkarot offered.

"Possible, but not likely. Wait a second," Vegeta spoke next, and then waved for silence as the jewel glowed gold and tried to fly out of his hand again. The trees thinned ahead of them to reveal a small glen with an old house by a small stone shrine. Sitting in a window of the house, shining in the sun, was the dragon ball! They rode into the glen and quickly dismounted. A quick glance told them that the ball was on the inside of the window, and they went to the front door. Vegeta raised his hand to grab hold of the rope that hung by the door, which he assumed would ring a bell and tell whoever was inside they were there, but he never got the chance. The door slid open to reveal a tall, male figure.

"I thought I heard horses," he said, looking at his visitors and their rides. "What brings you here, so far from any villages or towns?" he asked politely, bowing to them. For a few seconds, they were all frozen, as they quickly realized why he lived way out here alone. He was tall, with the bald head of a monk, and a third eye in his forehead. Vegeta regained himself first.

"Actually, that orange crystal ball in your window is why we're here," Vegeta said calmly, showing no sign that the man's strange malformation had any affect on him.

"The ball? I bought that a few days ago," he said. "Pardon, where are my manners? I am Tenshinhan, but my friends call me Tien."

"I am Vegeta," Vegeta said with a small bow. There was no need to give his title, it wouldn't help the situation any.

"I'm Kakkarot," Kakkarot bowed next.

"I'm Bulma Briefs," Bulma bowed.

"My name is Chi-Chi Ox," Chi-Chi said with a bow.

"It's an honor to meet all of you, I'm sure," Tien said. "Now, what were you saying about the crystal?"

"It's stolen," Vegeta answered shortly. "We were. . . asked. . . to retrieve it."

"Tien, darling, who is it?" a young woman with long, curly, dark purple hair suddenly came up behind the three-eyed man, and he turned to her.

"Strangers, Lunch. They say the orange ball I got a few days ago was stolen," Tien told her. They blinked and stared; he had a wife? Somehow, that was unexpected.

"Stolen? Oh, no! From who?" Lunch asked.

"A dragon named Shenlon," Kakkarot said.

"A dragon!" Lunch jumped, and ran off into the house.

"Lunch! Calm down!" Tien followed her quickly, leaving a very confused Vegeta, Bulma, Kakkarot and Chi-Chi behind at the door. Looking inside, they noticed the house was clean and well kept, and there was somebody else in a far room. The body was small, indicating a child. A few seconds later, Lunch came running back with the dragon ball in her hands.

"I'm not keeping something that was stolen from a dragon! What if the dragon comes for it himself? It's too dangerous!" Lunch said to her husband as she made ready to hand the ball over.

"I understand that, but. . ." Tien said, trying to soothe her.

"We'll gladly reimburse you," Kakkarot said, and Tien looked at him with two of his three eyes.

"Well, that would be kind of you. Are you sure this ball was stolen, though?" Tien asked. Vegeta held up the tracking jewel, which pulled itself free from his hand and practically plunged into the dragon ball, then settled for hovering around it.

"Yes, we are," Vegeta answered, slightly amused by Tien's startled look. Tien sighed then.

"All right, Lunch. Give it to them," Tien nodded, and Lunch all but threw the ball at them. Vegeta took the ball and put the tracking jewel away.

"I'm a little sorry to give it up, it's so pretty and all, but it's better to give it back to its real owner," Lunch said.

"He appreciates it," Bulma smiled sweetly. "Thank you."

"Thank you," Kakkarot and Chi-Chi said together.

"Yes, Thanks," Vegeta nodded. "And good day."

"Bye!" Lunch waved. Kakkarot fetched a few gold coins and gave them to Tien, who agreed it covered what he'd spent on the ball, then Kakkarot helped Chi-Chi back up onto Horushu. Bulma and Vegeta were already back up on Auroris. They called out some goodbyes, and then rode away as Tien and Lunch went back into their house.

"That was as easy as the first one!" Chi-Chi smiled brightly.

"Yeah! We'll be finished soon," Kakkarot nodded. "And then we can go home."

"You can," Chi-Chi answered quietly. Kakkarot fell silent for a second.

"You. . .you won't come with me?" he said softly, and Chi-Chi let out a quiet gasp.

"You. . .want me to?" she said in return.

"You have to come to Vegetasei with us, Chi-Chi. I'd miss you," Bulma said. Kakkarot and Chi-Chi both looked at her in surprise.

"You're going to Vegetasei, Bulma?" Kakkarot asked first. He knew his prince had become quite taken with the blue-haired beauty, but so much so he'd defy his father?

"Yes, she's coming with us to Vegetasei. She will be my empress, so I suggest you start speaking to her in a more respectful manner, Kakkarot," Vegeta answered shortly, and Kakkarot and Chi-Chi gawked.

"Empress!" Chi-Chi squeaked. Bulma blushed a little and nodded.

"Vegeta, what about. . .?" Kakkarot started.

"I will handle my father," Vegeta cut him off. "For the time being, let's just focus on finishing this chore." They all nodded, that was the important thing at the moment.

The jewel continued to lead them south, and they felt the weather shift slightly around them. Days passed slowly with no sign of the last ball, and Bulma and Chi-Chi began to grow uneasy as they traveled.

"Woman, what's the matter with you?" Vegeta asked as he saw Bulma tremble suddenly in his arms. They were passing through a field with a large, gnarled tree to one side.

"I know this place. . .Chi-Chi and I passed that tree when we were running away from home," Bulma answered quietly. Chi-Chi was clinging to Kakkarot's arms as a small wave of panic hit her heart and sank into her stomach. The tracker kept pointing south, though, so they continued to follow it. Finally, they came into view of a large, sprawling town. The jewel pointed straight to it.

"No. . .oh, no, this can't be. . ." Bulma gasped, and Chi-Chi fought back a sob.

"What is it?" Vegeta said, though he already had a strong feeling that he knew. Kakkarot held Chi-Chi to his chest comfortingly as she shook with fear.

"That's. . .KapuKopu. . .our home. . ." Bulma said quietly. "The last dragon ball is in our hometown. . ."

Well, they couldn't all be easy, now could they? That would be boring!


	6. Chapter 6

No, I don't own DBZ - how many times have I got to say it before people will believe me?

Yes, there's some swearing. And, there's a near-rape (I don't like it, but it's part of the story).

A Promise of Always

by

NansJns

Ch.5

"KapuKopu. . .are you sure?" Kakkarot asked as he stared at the town before them. It had some of the tallest buildings he'd ever seen, some rich-looking farms, and a working iron mill. It was quite impressive in appearance, truth be told.

"Positive," Chi-Chi said into his chest. "We can't go back there!" She hated feeling and acting so weak and helpless, but when she thought of the bordello, and what almost happened to her, she couldn't help it.

"We'll be hauled back to hell the moment we set foot in there!" Bulma agreed, clinging to Vegeta. She, too, hated feeling so pathetic, but the idea of being dragged back to that horrible man, to suffer whatever he chose to put her through, filled her with terror and sickness.

"Which is why this is as close as you're getting to it," Vegeta said as he dismounted. He lifted Bulma off Auroris' back and set her gently on the ground. "You're staying back here, out of sight."

"You, too," Kakkarot said to Chi-Chi as he dismounted and helped her down. He gave her some food and a water pouch, as well as his sword. "Hide in the woods, both of you. We'll come find you after we get the ball." The two women nodded and turned to go into the woods.

"Bulma," Vegeta called to her, and she stopped. "Here, take this," he said, handing her his katana. "We'll be back soon."

"Of course. And we'll be waiting," Bulma forced a smiled as she held the katana tightly in front of her chest. Vegeta reached out and caressed her cheek before he thought better of it, and then climbed back onto his horse. Kakkarot kissed Chi-Chi quickly and softly, surprising her, then he, too, got back on his horse. Blushing, Chi-Chi and Bulma went into the woods that stood around KapuKopu. Vegeta and Kakkarot watched them until they were out of sight, and then nudged their horses in to a trot and went down to the town.

KapuKopu was one of the largest, busiest towns they'd ever been to. Only Vegetasei's capital surpassed it. They watched as the people went about their daily business, women running errands, men working, merchants selling their wares. Even though they were strangers, they went virtually ignored as the large crowd moved around them. They dismounted and led their horses to make moving through the crowd a little easier. The jewel pointed to the right, and they turned down the next cross street. They had walked about ten paces down the street when they both jerked to a halt. A large poster was nailed to a wooden post a few feet from them, with large, prominent pictures of Bulma and Chi-Chi painted on it. Written beneath the pictures was the message "Wanted: Two runaway women, Bulma Briefs and Chi-Chi Ox. Ox is an escaped bordello slave, please return alive with minimal marks. Briefs assisted in her escape and ran away from her arranged marriage, also wanted alive with minimal marks. Reward offered for both." Vegeta scowled as he walked up to the poster, intent on tearing it down and ripping it up. Kakkarot was right behind him, ready to burn the offensive piece of paper.

"Have you seen them?" a voice said just as they reached the poster. They both spun to see a man standing a few feet away. "By the looks you two had a few moments ago, I'd think you did. What, did they con you out of some money? Those two are very clever." Their eyes flashed fire, but the man didn't seem to notice.

"No, we haven't seen them," Vegeta said coldly, giving the man a glare that told him to drop it.

"Are you sure?" the man asked. "You sure looked upset about something."

"Tch. Just disgusted with the idea of a woman that would run away from her own marriage, and help a slave escape," Vegeta felt bile rising to the back of his throat as he spoke the spiteful words. His mind filled with Bulma's frightened face. He had to get her away from here as quick as he could.

"And what good will running do the whore, anyway? She'll probably end up in another bordello, anyway," Kakkarot agreed, feeling his stomach twist into a knot. He desperately wanted to get going, find the ball, and leave this place as far behind them as they could.

"Got that right. Are you sure you haven't seen them, just a glimpse, somewhere? They disappeared pretty good," the man observed casually.

"No. I'd remember seeing a head of blue hair," Vegeta said, his voice capable of making ice shiver. Kakkarot nodded, and then they all but pushed past the man, focusing on the tracking jewel again.

"We've got to hurry," Vegeta observed quietly.

"Agreed," Kakkarot muttered. They turned another corner as the jewel directed them, only to discover another one of the posters. This one they did manage to destroy.

Bulma and Chi-Chi sat in the shade of a large tree quietly. Neither one felt much like speaking, fear had paralyzed their tongues. They were afraid that if they breathed too loudly they'd be found. So they just sat under the tree, katanas in hand, praying for Vegeta and Kakkarot's quick return. Bulma began fidgeting first. She rolled the katana around in her hands, and grasping and releasing the handle. Chi-Chi started to pull her katana an inch out of its sheath and then push it back in again.

"Ugh, I hate feeling like this," Bulma grumbled.

"Tell me about it. I never liked feeling weak and scared. That's why I worked so hard on making sure nothing frightened me," Chi-Chi muttered.

"It's not like we're totally helpless, we're not like other women," Bulma observed, still keeping her voice down.

"Heaven forbid," Chi-Chi almost chuckled. Then she sighed softly. "So. . .you're going to be an empress."

"Yeah. . .and you're going to be a samurai's wife!" Bulma smiled. Chi-Chi's cheeks flushed.

"He hasn't actually asked me to marry him," she admitted.

"He will," Bulma smirked. Chi-Chi smiled a little shyly.

"I hope so," Chi-Chi whispered. They fell silent again, but the silence didn't last. Heavy footsteps crunched close by and the two women dove for the nearest hiding place they could find. From their hiding place, they watched a few men go by wordlessly. They looked more like farmers than bounty hunters, but Bulma and Chi-Chi kept low anyway. After the men had passed and were well out of sight, the two women came back out.

"We can't get away from this place fast enough," Bulma said.

"Yes," Chi-Chi sighed.

Vegeta and Kakkarot followed the tracking jewel through KapuKopu for hours, working through the maze-like streets slowly or quickly depending on how crowded they were. Vegeta was getting angrier with each passing moment, and Kakkarot was growing increasingly antsy.

"Damn it! What is wrong with this thing? It says the ball is here, but it can't seem to decide where!" Vegeta growled loudly. They didn't have time for this, the longer they stayed there the more likely it was that Bulma and Chi-Chi would be found.

"This place is a maze. . .!" Kakkarot grumbled loudly.

"Hey-O! Come one, come all! Rare and valuable treasures for sale! Gold and jewels, from the farthest reaches! Exquisite jewelry from across the world!" a merchant's voice traveled to them. Their first reaction was to ignore it, until they remembered that the dragon balls were stolen and being sold by a merchant with 'self-proclaimed rare and valuable treasures.' They turned and ran for the voice. Even if he didn't have the last ball now, he'd know where it was! They found him two streets away, standing by a beat up cart loaded with trinkets. Some of it actually did look valuable, while others looked like junk. The merchant himself was one of the shortest men they'd ever seen, though his arms showed honed muscles, and he had wide eyes and no nose. He boasted a head of thick, bushy black hair, and was trying to sell a necklace to a woman.

"You there!" Vegeta barked, in no mood for formalities. The short man turned to him with a wide, salesmen grin.

"Yes, sir! What may I do for you?" he said. "I'm Krillin, dealer of treasures, and I have most anything you could want! Need something to impress a lady friend, perhaps?"

"Do you sell orange crystal balls with red stars on them?" Vegeta said, frowning. Krillin was obviously unsure of what to think of Vegeta's expression, but went on.

"Orange crystal balls? You must have heard of me before! Sadly, I've already sold the last one. But, I have some other nice. . ."

"Who did you sell it to, you short thief!" Vegeta cut him off. Krillin stared at him.

"Who are you calling a thief! I've never stolen anything in my life!" Krillin snapped, throughly annoyed with Vegeta.

"Like hell! Those balls were stolen from the dragon Shenlon!" Kakkarot stepped in. Krillin stared at them both blankly.

"Dragon? What dragon?" he said.

"The dragon you stole them from!" Vegeta said.

"But I never. . .there wasn't any dragon, that guy said. . .ooh, I knew nothing good could come from dealing with a man who wouldn't step into the light!" the short man began sweating nervously.

"What man?" Kakkarot asked, becoming confused.

"W-well, a while ago, I was up north, and a man called to me from the shadow of an alley. He offered me something truly rare for some gold, and showed me the balls. He wouldn't leave the shadows of the alley, all I ever saw was his hand. . .I knew it wasn't a human hand, it was green, and the nails were too long. . .but, I knew I could get some good money for those balls, maybe enough for my wedding. . ." Krillin explained meekly. Vegeta rolled his eyes a little, but felt his anger at the man ebb.

"Shenlon wants his balls back. We've found the other two; now, who did you sell the last one to?" Vegeta tried again. ((We've almost got it, Bulma. You'll be away from this place soon.)) he promised her mentally.

"I don't know who he was," Krillin admitted. "But he was richly dressed, young, and had dark hair and grey eyes, and a lean face. He seemed well known around here. He went that way," Krillin pointed. Vegeta held up the tracking jewel to see if the ball was still that way, and the jewel pointed the same way Krillin had.

"All right, then," Vegeta said, and walked off, Kakkarot uttering a quick thanks and a warning to be more careful in the future to the merchant. They followed the jewel again, deeply annoyed that the merchant had already sold the last ball by the time they'd found him. Vegeta glanced skyward as a cool breeze passed them, the sun hanging low in the sky.

"Night's coming," Kakkarot said quietly.

"Yes. . .hurry up, Kakkarot, I want this over with!" Vegeta snapped, and nearly began to run. Kakkarot joined him without complaint. The jewel once again led them down several different streets, until it finally glowed gold and began trying to pull Vegeta to a large mansion.

"Finally!" Vegeta sighed, and they went up to the door. They knocked lightly, and a few minutes later, the door slid open. On the opposite side of the door stood a woman with blonde hair pinned on top of her head. She looked relatively young, but was still clearly older than they were.

"Yes? Can I help you gentlemen?" she asked. Vegeta cleared his throat.

"We're looking for a young man who bought an orange crystal ball a little while ago," Vegeta said.

"The ball is stolen property," Kakkarot added. The woman's blue eyes widened, and both samurai were suddenly struck by her resemblance to Bulma.

"I don't know anything about any ball!" she said with a shake of her head. "What makes you think the man who bought it is here?"

"We have our ways," Vegeta answered as he raised the tracking jewel, which was striving to fly into the house and glowing bright gold.

"What's going on, Mrs. Briefs?" a young, male voice asked, and a man joined her. He was wearing a rich kimono, had long dark hair and grey eyes, and a lean face. The jewel tried to go for his pocket. That, however, wasn't what held Vegeta and Kakkarot's attentions anymore. ((Mrs. Briefs? Bulma's mother!)) Vegeta quickly fought the shock that stabbed at him.

"These samurai say they think there's a stolen crystal ball in the house, Rukin," Mrs. Briefs told the young man. Rukin looked at the twosome with a slightly arrogant air, looking them over like they were insects to be crushed underfoot. ((Is this guy Bulma's finace?)) Vegeta wondered.

"Actually, I believe it's in your pocket," Vegeta answered as he released the tracking jewel, which dove into Rukin's pocket, making the youth jump in surprise. He reached into his pocket and pulled out the dragon ball. He scowled and pried the jewel off of it and flung it back at Vegeta.

"What the hell is that thing?" Rukin snapped.

"A tracker for the balls," Vegeta said. "We were sent to get them back for their rightful owner. So. . ." Vegeta reached for the ball in Rukin's hand, and Rukin's eyes flashed as he pulled the ball back.

"Now, wait a minute! I spent 6000 yen on this ball!" Rukin said.

"We'll reimburse you, if you want, just give us the ball," Kakkarot said, running low on patience. Rukin's eyebrow suddenly hitched upward, an idea coming to him.

"Perhaps we can work out a trade," he said coolly, smiling lightly. "May they come in, Mrs. Briefs?"

"Oh, well, I. . yes, of course," she said. "But not before they introduce themselves."

"Tch, do their names matter?" Rukin muttered softly, but Vegeta and Kakkarot's sharp ears caught it. They suddenly realized their armor and kimonos were dirty with traveling, and they still had dust from the road in their hair. . .and because of that, Rukin thought they were below him! Vegeta gritted his teeth, but made himself be civil before Bulma's mother.

"My name is Vegeta," Vegeta said with a bow.

"I'm Kakkarot," Kakkarot bowed next.

"It's nice to meet you," Mrs. Briefs said. Vegeta and Kakkarot left Auroris and Horushu in front of the house and went in. They were led to a table with fresh tea on it. Mrs. Briefs went to get two extra cups while the men talked.

"Now, what kind of trade did you have in mind?" Vegeta asked calmly. Rukin was still smiling as he held the ball against the table.

"I am supposed to marry Mr. and Mrs. Briefs's. . ._charming_. . .daughter, but she's run off," Rukin explained, and Vegeta felt his anger start to rise. So this _was_ the man that Bulma feared and hated so much. "I'll give you the ball if you get her back for me." Every muscle in Vegeta's body tensed as he fought back the urge to strike the man.

"We could just give you the 6000 yen," Kakkarot said lowly, seeing his prince couldn't speak at the moment.

"Yes, I'm _sure_ you could. But I'd rather have the girl," Rukin answered with a condescending smile. Kakkarot scowled; the ass thought they were poor!

"Was there some reason she ran off?" Vegeta asked as he regained control of himself. Rukin snorted.

"I don't really know. She has far too much spirit for a woman, I'll tell you that. She's also loud and disobedient. She actually talked back to me several times, and even raised her voice! I'll have a time breaking her, I can tell that now," Rukin shrugged.

"'Breaking' her?" Vegeta echoed, fury and surprise mixing in him and rising to the surface.

"You know, making her quiet and obedient, putting that spirit out before it gets her in trouble. Her parents should have done it long ago. They actually let her build things, can you imagine? They gave her too much freedom as a child instead of teaching her how to be a proper woman. Frankly, I wouldn't even consider marrying her if the Briefs weren't so rich and influential in this town," Rukin said, keeping his voice low so no one outside the room could hear it. Vegeta's right hand clenched into a tight fist beneath the table. Mrs. Briefs came in then with the tea and her husband.

"Good evening," Dr. Briefs said.

"Good evening," Vegeta and Kakkarot said in unison.

"What were you all talking about?" Dr. Briefs asked as he made himself comfortable at the table.

"We were just discussing a trade. If they'll find Bulma for us, I'll give them the ball," Rukin smiled at them.

"Oh! Do you think you could? We're all so terribly worried about her!" Mrs. Briefs said eagerly, her eyes showing her concern for her child.

"I can't imagine why she ran off the way she did. We had just gone to a tea ceremony and she said she saw a friend she wanted to talk to, and that was the last time we saw her," Dr. Briefs told them, sadness and worry creasing his face.

"Some people told us they'd seen her beyond the city," Mrs. Briefs added.

"After she stole her friend Chi-Chi out of the bordello," Dr. Briefs continued.

"Well, you certainly can't blame her for that. That poor girl, how did she end up there in the first place?" Mrs. Briefs said.

"She was poor, that's how," Rukin muttered. Kakkarot sent him a dark look that he missed.

"Yes, well, we'd prefer to just pay for the ball. We have a long way to go to return it," Vegeta said shortly. The whole conversation was driving him up the wall. Her parents obviously loved her and were worried about her, but they were willing to give her over to a man who would destroy her.

"Oh, please, won't you reconsider? She's been missing for months and we're all out of our heads with worry!" Mrs. Briefs pleaded.

"Yes," Rukin agreed with a small nod. "We're all frightened for her." ((Yes, I'm sure you are.)) Vegeta thought, his dark eyes glinting death.

"We'll. . .think about it. We need to confer. We'll tell you our decision when we have one," Vegeta said, and stood. Kakkarot followed him, and they were shown out of the house. They grabbed Auroris and Horushu and headed down the street, intent on getting back to Bulma and Chi-Chi.

"Can you believe that bastard?" Kakkarot muttered.

"'Break' her? Put out her spirit? I'll break _him_ before he'll ever get near her again!" Vegeta cursed hotly underneath his breath.

"So what will we do about the ball?" Kakkarot asked as they tried to retrace their steps.

"I'd rather kill him than bring him Bulma," Vegeta said. "We can offer him the money one more time. . .or just tell him who we really are and threaten him with imprisonment." Vegeta smirked at the thought. Kakkarot let out a mirthless chuckle. The streets were emptier now, and by asking some of the remaining people, they found a quicker way back to the woods.

Mrs. Briefs washed a few dishes quietly as she thought of their unusual guests. Rukin was certain they were poor ronins and nothing more, but they hadn't held themselves or acted like ronins. There was something else, too, but she wasn't sure what.

"Vegeta. . .I feel like I've heard that name before," she said to herself. She thought about it long and hard until she remembered - and proceeded to drop the dish she was holding back into the water. "Oh, my goodness!" she gasped. "Vegeta is the name of the emperor and prince of the Vegetasei Province! But if he was the prince, why would he be going around looking for stolen property? Unless. . .it was stolen from his palace!" Mrs. Briefs pressed her hands to her cheeks in a moment of panic. "Or, it could just be a coincidence," she observed, and went back to her dishes.

The sun was near to setting and the wind had turned cold, and Bulma and Chi-Chi built themselves a small fire to keep warm. It was only a few burning twigs, since they didn't dare build anything big enough to be seen, and provided little light and warmth. They ate some of the food they'd been left and waited nervously.

"Why have they been gone so long?" Bulma mumbled.

"KapuKopu is a big place. . .maybe they got lost," Chi-Chi whispered.

"I hope not. I want to leave," Bulma sighed.

"Yeah," Chi-Chi said in a breath.

"Well, well! What have we here? The two runaway women!" the man appeared so suddenly from the darkness that he took both women by total surprise.

"Get homesick, ladies?" a second man, less than two feet away from Chi-Chi, asked.

"Must have, they weren't here before," a third man, close to Bulma, said. Bulma and Chi-Chi jumped to their feet with Vegeta and Kakkarot's katanas out, and prayed quietly the men couldn't see the trembling in their hands.

"Katanas? Where did you steal those?" the first man asked with a laugh.

"Fancy ones, too - look at those hilts! They must have done something really right to get their hands on those!" the second man said.

"Stay back!" Bulma warned, waving the katana. She only knew a few moves with it, and she could only hope they'd be enough. The first man took a step forward and received a quick, painful cut on his cheek as his reward.

"Bitch!" he spat as he stepped back. Bulma and Chi-Chi felt a small wave of triumph that was quickly shattered on the rocks of reality. Two more men came from behind them and grabbed them. The man holding Bulma slammed her wrist against a tree, making her drop her sword. The other man simply pried Chi-Chi's sword from her fingers.

"Looks like tonight's our lucky night, boys!" the leader laughed. "I knew we'd find you sooner or later. We've been searching practically all of Japan for you. We finally come home, smell some smoke, and there you are! If we'd known you were coming back, we wouldn't have left!" Both women spat on him in anger, fear, and disgust. He growled and the men holding them twisted their arms behind them. "Come on, let's take them into town."

"NO! NO! NO!" Bulma and Chi-Chi screamed and howled as they were roughly drug out of the woods and onto the road, where their cart and horses were waiting. Two of the men scooped up the katanas and their sheaths to sell later and walked behind their friends with their catch. They flung Bulma and Chi-Chi into the back of the cart, three men got in with them, and the other two got into the drivers seat and urged their horses forward. Bulma and Chi-Chi tried to push past the men to jump out of the cart, screamed, cursed, hit, and kicked them violently in their desperation to get free.

"Damn, they were right - these two do have too much spirit!" one man, a youth in his late twenties with pale green eyes, said as he backhanded Bulma.

"Hey, I bet the bordello would pay us extra if we broke her spirit a little," the second man, a big, middle-aged man with a scar down his face, said, motioning to Chi-Chi.

"I wouldn't mind sampling them both," the third man, the same age as the second with a thick black beard and a nearly bald head, chuckled. "With those nice new kimonos and the swords, they must be very talented whores."

"KEEP AWAY FROM US!" both women shrieked.

"Guys, we're in town," the driver, who was also the leader, called back to them. "Now, what's the quickest way to the bordello and the Briefs' house?" he muttered. He looked to be in his late thirties, with thin brown hair and brown eyes. The men moved to look around and decide the quickest path, and Bulma and Chi-Chi dove past them and onto the street. They ran as fast as they could, which, due to their kimonos, wasn't fast enough. The men caught up with them and dragged them into an alley.

"Rotten bitches!" the man with the scar spat as he struck Chi-Chi upside the head. "You need to learn your places!" With that, he pulled the top of Chi-Chi's kimono open.

"NOO!" Chi-Chi screamed as the man painfully fondled her. "KAKKAROT! KAKKAROT!"

"Shee-it, a body this nice shouldn't be wasted on just one guy, anyway!" he said. The bearded man all but tore the sash-belt off her while the other two began stripping Bulma. The apparent leader just watched with a cold glint of amusement in his eyes.

"STOP IT ! STOP IT! VEGETA! HELP!" Bulma howled as she was pushed against a stone wall and her legs forced open.

"What's your problem? You've been doing this for months!" the fourth man, who had short black hair, mocked her as he stroked her inner thigh. "And speaking of great bodies. . ."

Vegeta and Kakkarot noticed the empty cart by the gate with mild curiosity. They would have moved on, if they hadn't seen their katanas sitting in the back of the cart. Auroris and Horushu began twitching their ears and neighing as Vegeta and Kakkarot took a closer look at the cart.

"This is my katana," Vegeta said.

"And mine," Kakkarot agreed.

"Then, where is. . .?" Vegeta started, and then they heard the women screaming.

"I've always wondered what it would be like to have a high-class woman like you, Ms. Briefs," the green-eyed youth holding Bulma laughed mockingly as he forced his hand over her curves. Bulma sobbed and screamed.

"Remember, boys, minimal marks. Especially on Ms. Bulma - even if she has been selling herself to survive, her fiancé will want her to still _look_ untouched for the wedding," the leader chuckled. The other men chuckled in turn as they began removing their own clothes. The next second, two of the men fell over dead, their heads falling to the ground a few seconds ahead of their bodies. Vegeta and Kakkarot, their blades out and bloody, stood before the dead bodies as blood covered the ground.

"Vegeta!" Bulma croaked, reaching for him.

"Kakkarot!" Chi-Chi choked out. The remaining bounty hunters turned from the women, who pulled their kimonos back over themselves.

"You disgusting bastards," Vegeta growled.

"How dare you!" Kakkarot hissed.

"What the hell do you think you're doing! They were some of my best men!" the leader snarled. "These women are our bounty! Go find your own!" Vegeta and Kakkarot wasted no breath replying, and simply attacked. The narrow ally made for a poor battle ground, there was little room to maneuver; but there would be no moving out of it. The swords clanged and rattled as they collided, Vegeta and Kakkarot fighting all three men at once. Chi-Chi began inching toward the mouth of the alley to get out of harm's way, but Bulma was trapped by the fighting. Vegeta went into a deadlock with the leader, making a long enough pause in the movement of the swords for Bulma to try and run. The leader saw her move, and broke away from Vegeta to swing at her. The blade was just a flash of silver to Bulma's eyes as it flew at her and cut into her flesh. She stumbled backwards and received a small cut to her arm from one of the other men as they dueled with Kakkarot. Vegeta ran to her and caught her before she could fall. He looked her over quickly; the wound was ugly, but not deep. She'd survive if she got help at once. He turned to look at the leader, a small, cold smile touched his lips for a second before vanishing. He now had every right in the world to kill this man. Kakkarot stood at his prince's side, and the three remaining bounty hunters glared at them. Vegeta suddenly turned and went to Chi-Chi, very gently handing Bulma to her.

"Get her to a doctor, the roads are nearly empty now. We'll be behind you shortly," Vegeta told her, leaving no room for questions. Chi-Chi's eyes darted to Kakkarot, who nodded, and she took her injured friend and ran.

"What. . .! They're getting away!" the bounty hunters started to follow, only to find cold steel in their way. The swords began flying again, only now, with their women out of the way, and fueled by blood-boiling rage, Vegeta and Kakkarot unleashed their full strength and skill. The two henchmen fell quickly, leaving the leader alone. The leader was sweating as he looked at the bodies of his fallen comrades.

"Who the hell are you? What do you want!" the leader barked as he lunged forward again. There were three sharp clangs as metal met metal, then a choked gag from the man as he stared at the sword through his stomach.

"Prince Vegeta of Vegetasei," Vegeta hissed to the man's dying ear. "Bulma is mine."

"Samurai Kakkarot," Kakkarot added. "All I want is Chi-Chi." Vegeta then pushed the man off his sword. They wiped their swords off and sheathed them, then ran out into the street to find Chi-Chi and Bulma. They were a little surprised, but not very, to discover Horushu was gone. Auroris was pacing back and forth and tossing his head in agitation. Vegeta grabbed his stallion's reigns and noticed a small trail of blood on the ground. He swallowed down a lump in his throat and followed it, Kakkarot at his side.

So, why come up with a new character to be Bulma's would-be fiancé when I could just use Yamcha? 'Cause I needed the guy to be a total S.O.B., and I didn't feel like bashing Yamcha. I've got nothing against him. Just 'cause he was too much of a wimp and a flirt to keep Bulma. . .ahem, yes, well, I decided a new character would be better.


	7. Chapter 7

Dragon Ball Z is miiiine! My precious! Precious! Okay, I'm back. . and, as much as I'd love to say it was mine, that's a negative.

A Promise of Always

by

NansJns

Ch.6

Chi-Chi steered Horushu as best she could with only one hand holding his reigns. Her other hand was holding her best friend, who was bleeding badly. She had barely managed to get Bulma onto Horushu and then herself. If it weren't for the fact that going by horse was faster than by foot, she wouldn't have tried it. She knew getting shook up was the last thing Bulma needed, but she didn't have a choice. The nearest doctor was still far enough away that dragging Bulma through the streets would have accomplished nothing. Horushu was a little confused to be going somewhere without his master, she could tell, but the horse already accepted her as his mistress and was willing to go where she told him.

"Almost there, almost there," she muttered. She looked around the streets where the only guides were occasional torches and the lights in the buildings. Her breath left her in a rush when she finally spotted the two-story building the doctor worked in. Chi-Chi put Bulma down across Horushu's back carefully and then got down as quickly as she could. She then gently lifted Bulma down and counted her lucky stars that she was stronger than most women, or lifting Bulma would have been more difficult. Chi-Chi carried her semi-conscious friend and kicked at the door to get someone on the inside to open it. A few tense moments later, one of the doctor's assistants opened the door.

"What. . .good heavens! What happened to her! Get her inside, quickly!" the young woman said quickly when she saw the increasingly pale Bulma. The nurse helped Chi-Chi get Bulma comfortably on a bed and then ran for the doctor, who came into the room with an armload of supplies. He looked her over quickly to determine the number and extent of her injuries, and then set to work, cleaning and bandaging.

"What happened here? How did she get cut like this?" the doctor asked as he wrapped Bulma's chest in a cloth bandage.

"Uh. . ." Chi-Chi said, not sure how to answer. "There was a fight. . .we got caught in it. . ." She fumbled a bit, not wanting to lie, but unable to tell the whole truth. The assistant was looking at them both carefully, as was the doctor.

"A fight?" the doctor echoed. Chi-Chi nodded numbly. "Between who and who?"

"Some samurai. . .and some bounty hunters. . ." Chi-Chi said slowly. Then the door was roughly flung open, and Vegeta and Kakkarot came running in. They went straight for the treatment area.

"Where's Bulma?" Vegeta demanded before seeing her on the bed.

"Please, honorable sirs, we're in the middle of treatment! Stay in the waiting area!" the assistant stepped in their way and Vegeta scowled at her. Kakkarot pulled him back to the front to wait unhappily. Several minutes later, the assistant came out. "All right, you can come in now. She's unconscious, but the bleeding's stopped, so she'll be fine." Vegeta didn't answer as he moved past her to see Bulma.

"Thank you," Kakkarot told the woman as he went past. Once inside, Chi-Chi flung herself into Kakkarot's arms as Vegeta sat by Bulma and took her hand. Her face was twitching in her sleep from pain and possibly bad dreams. Her stroked her face gently and her face smoothed out a little.

"Woman, wake up," he murmured. None of them noticed the doctor and the nurse speaking quietly, or the nurse leaving.

"What happened? How did those bounty hunters find you?" Kakkarot asked Chi-Chi, and Vegeta's ears went to them while his eyes stayed on Bulma.

"I'm not entirely sure. I know part of it was they smelled the smoke. . ." Chi-Chi started, and Kakkarot stared at her in surprise that she'd do something so foolish as to build a fire. "It was dark and cold! The fire was tiny, just a few burning twigs, not enough to actually give any real light or warmth! But they smelled the smoke, and followed it. . .we tried to fight. . .but they outnumbered us, caught us from behind . . ." Chi-Chi buried herself into Kakkarot's embrace as tears threatened her. Kakkarot held her tightly to show his forgiveness.

"How long until she wakes up?" Vegeta asked quietly. "We have to leave, soon. Those bounty hunters won't be the last to come after the two of you."

"The doctor said it wouldn't be long," Chi-Chi said. "I want to get out of here. I can't take it anymore," she whispered against Kakkarot's chest. "All because my family is poor, I'm not worth anything except as. . .as. . ." Chi-Chi bit back a sob as the horror of what had nearly happened to her came back. Kakkarot rubbed her back soothingly. Vegeta tuned them out and let them have a little privacy.

"Chi-Chi, no one will ever hurt you like that again, I swear. . .come back to Vegetasei with me, be my wife. . .I'll keep you safe forever, and anyone who shows you disrespect again will feel my blade," Kakkarot said softly in to her hair. Chi-Chi gasped at the proposal, and then smiled and lifted her head.

"You really mean it?" she asked. Kakkarot nodded and smiled a little for her. "Yes! I'll gladly be your wife!" she said, hugging him tightly. Kakkarot smiled widely.

Vegeta continued to focus on Bulma, and cursing himself for not protecting her better. When the man turned from him, he had simply assumed he was turning to run. The sight of the blade coming down on Bulma flashed before his eyes again. How could he have been so stupid, so slow! He had allowed her to be gravely injured, in a place he dare not let her stay long. Who knew what her would-be fiancé would do to her while she was weak and couldn't really fight back. It gave him little comfort that the blood on her bandage was minimal, or even that her breathing was fairly steady. She was still so pale, and her skin was cool to the touch. They sat, waiting for Bulma to wake up, for what felt like a long time, but was closer to an hour.

"I have some tea for her when she wakes up," the doctor said, startling Vegeta out of his revery. He placed the warm cup of tea on a small table beside Bulma's bed. "It has some special herbs in it that will dull the pain. She mustn't move very much for a bit, either. It would be best if she just lied still and rested for the rest of the evening. She'll be able to move tomorrow, but she still shouldn't move too much."

"All right," Vegeta nodded, far more compliant than he normally was. Kakkarot would have been surprised, if he didn't already know how much Bulma meant to him.

"Oh, and I had to remove her necklace while I was treating her. Here, you can hold on to it - I almost forgot I had it in my pocket," the doctor smiled a bit as he handed Vegeta the necklace before he left again to give them some privacy. Vegeta stared at the necklace in shock. It was made of clay beads and cherry seeds, with a half-stone pendant on one end, just like his. Vegeta reached into his shirt and pulled out his own necklace, a perfect match. Kakkarot looked at the matching pieces of jewelry in almost as much surprise as Vegeta.

"How strange! Chi-Chi, do you know where she got that?" Kakkarot asked the woman in his arms. Chi-Chi was looking at the two necklaces in mild confusion herself.

"No, not really. . .and neither does she. She's had it since she was a little girl, but she doesn't remember where she got it. She just knows it's a good luck charm of some kind," Chi-Chi answered. "She always wears it when she travels, she told me."

"They're not identical," Vegeta said slowly. "The letters are different." He held up the two pendants to show them. Bulma's didn't have a "B" like Vegeta's, it had a "V". That, however, made Vegeta even more confused and surprised. His had Bulma's initial on it, and hers had his initial. . .what did it mean?

"If. . .if I didn't know better, I'd swear that those were two halves of the same stone," Kakkarot observed slowly. Slowly, Vegeta put the two pendants together. The two halves fit together perfectly, re-creating the round, tan stone they used to be, a "B" on one half, a "V" on the other. ((What does this mean?)) Vegeta wondered. Something from a very long time ago was calling to him, but he couldn't quite recall what.

"Excuse me," a new voice suddenly cut in, and they looked up to see three older men standing a few feet away. Chi-Chi tried to hide behind Kakkarot. "We don't mean to interrupt, but we hear that you have something of ours."

"All that we have belongs to us," Kakkarot answered coldly, sensing who they were.

"Not entirely," said the second man, tilting his head to look through the room carefully before he caught sight of Chi-Chi. "She belongs to us," he pointed to Chi-Chi. "We paid for her, nice and legal. Hand her over."

"She was kidnaped!" Kakkarot snarled.

"So are most slaves," shrugged the third man.

"She's not yours," Kakkarot's voice dropped low, heavy with menace.

"Yes, she is," the other men frowned deeply. Kakkarot grasped the hilt of his sword, ready to fight to protect her, and Vegeta moved to shield Bulma, who was beginning to stir. Before violence could erupt, Dr. and Mrs. Briefs, as well as Rukin, arrived.

"Where is she! Where's my little Bulma!" Mrs. Briefs demanded quickly, pushing past the men from the bordello.

"Bulma, sweetie, are you here?" Dr. Briefs called as he helped his wife push through the small crowd into the treatment area. Rukin was on their heels.

"Wha-you two again?" Mrs. Briefs stared, wide-eyed, at the two samurai.

"You knew where she was?" Dr. Briefs asked, not sure whether to be angry or happy. Rukin was glaring daggers at Vegeta.

"Yes. . ." Vegeta said slowly. Bulma moaned softly then, and they all turned to watch her dark blue eyes flutter open.

"Mama? Papa?" Bulma's voice was a little weak, but otherwise fine.

"Oh, my baby!" Mrs. Briefs forgot about the two samurai and ran to her daughter's side. "What happened?"

"Bounty hunters. . .trying to keep me from running. . .Vegeta?" Bulma turned her head to Vegeta.

"I'm right here," Vegeta said quietly, soothingly. He reached over and picked up the tea the doctor had left, then carefully tilted her head up. "Here, the doctor said you should drink this," he said, and Bulma sipped the tea until it was gone.

"Bulma, where did you go? We've all been so worried!" Dr. Briefs joined his wife at his daughter's side, rather curious about the familiarity between his daughter and Vegeta.

"Around. . .all over Japan, really," Bulma smiled a little.

"I'd rather know why you went! Our wedding will have to be postponed for awhile, now!" Rukin said as he leaned closer, sounding concerned, though his eyes were hard. Bulma saw him for the first time and tried to pull away in terror, her hands gripping weakly for Vegeta.

"R-Rukin. . .n-no! No! Vegeta!" she rasped as she grasped Vegeta's kimono top. Vegeta, uncomfortable with showing so much emotion with so many witnesses, swallowed down his pride and wrapped his arms around her shoulders and held her.

"It's all right, I'm here, he won't hurt you," Vegeta said by her ear. "And don't move so much, woman, you'll make your injury worse."

"_Hurt_ her? What do you mean?" Dr. Briefs stepped back into the conversation.

"He threatens me, Papa, and hurt my wrist once!" Bulma explained.

"What? But. . ." Mrs. Briefs started.

"I don't want to marry him! And I don't have to!" Bulma said, pushing herself deeper into Vegeta's arms.

"Excuse me? The deal is already done. You are my fiancee, Bulma, and we'll be married in the fall," Rukin said, his voice a knife. Her parents noticed the change.

"The deal is broken. I am Crown Prince Vegeta of the Vegetasei Province, and Bulma will be my wife and empress," Vegeta answered, his voice a growl.

"Say what!" Rukin and the Briefs, except for Bulma, all cried out in surprise.

"Ah, look, this is none of our business," the men from the bordello cut in. "We just want Miss Chi-Chi. We'll take her and be on our way."

"Like hell you will!" Kakkarot snarled loudly.

"Please! This is a doctor's office! If you're going to fight, do it outside and come back in when you're ready to be treated!" the doctor snapped.

"I don't care anymore!" Rukin suddenly growled. "She ran away to be with another man? Fine, that's her choice! You can have _her_ for your bordello, too, the slut!" he all but bellowed, looking to the men and pointing to Bulma.

"How dare you!" Vegeta released Bulma and jumped to his feet.

"How dare _I_? How dare you! What sort of 'prince' steals another man's fiancee? Come to think of it, what kind of prince goes hunting for stolen property in a dirty kimono and filthy armor?" Rukin's eyes flashed malice. "You're no prince! You want the who-" Vegeta's fist to Rukin's face cut the insult short. Rukin stumbled back and almost fell over, but caught himself before he did. His face contorted with rage as he stared at Vegeta.

"I stole nothing," Vegeta said, his voice a low rumble from the back of his throat. "She ran away from you, and we met. We've traveled together these past few months and we both decided we wanted to get married. As for my clothes, you don't always get a chance to wash while traveling. And if you wish to keep your tongue, you will not insult Bulma or myself again!"

"You've been traveling together? You just picked up a woman you'd never met before, and traveled with her? Paid for her food and lodgings? Out of the goodness of your heart? I'm sure! Since it seems I'll never get to know, tell me, how is she in bed? Does she moan or scream or both? Does she taste sweet?" Rukin spat, too angry to care about the repercussions. Vegeta grabbed him by the throat and dragged him out of the doctor's office. He threw him out the door and into the road. Auroris and Horushu neighed at the man; anybody that made Vegeta so mad was obviously a bad person, in their point of view. Rukin got up sputtering.

"I warned you about the insults. And know this before you die: Bulma is still untouched," Vegeta said coldly, and drew his sword. Rukin's eyes widened as he finally realized his life truly was in danger.

"I don't have my sword with me!" Rukin objected.

"Makes the advantage mine, doesn't it?" Vegeta answered, advancing on him slowly, relishing the other man's fear.

"Where's your honor? Killing an unarmed man in cold blood?" Rukin backed away a few steps. Vegeta frowned; he was right, it was dishonorable. Thankfully, he was even more skilled in unarmed combat than he was with his katana. He re-sheathed his blade and set it aside. Rukin started to look relaxed, until Vegeta shifted into a combat stance.

"Fine, then. Bare hands make no difference to me," Vegeta smirked a little as Rukin continued sweating in fear. ((The bastard doesn't know much hand-to-hand, does he?)) Vegeta thought. Then the three men from the bordello went flying out the of the doctor's door, Kakkarot behind them. Dr. Briefs, his wife, and Chi-Chi moved up to the door cautiously to watch. The two horses backed away slowly, sensing the coming fight. The six men stared at each other for several long moments, each sizing up their opponent. Vegeta's patience ran out first. He charged at Rukin, swinging several punches and kicks that were too fast for most to see. Rukin only managed to block one blow, the rest connected painfully. Vegeta felt two of Rukin's ribs crack from one blow, and his shoulder dislocate with another. Kakkarot and the bordello men fell into a sword fight with hand-to-hand in a few places. Kakkarot side-stepped a swinging sword and watched as it struck one of its companions. In the moment of surprise and confusion, he struck the first man upside the head and knocked him out cold. He then focused on the final man. Vegeta struck Rukin a final time and watched him fall to the ground. Rukin flopped around a bit as he tried to get back up. Vegeta began debating the best way to end his miserable life, when he noticed the final dragon ball still in Rukin's pocket. He stepped forward and nudged it out completely. Rukin saw it and grabbed it weakly.

"Here!" he said, holding it up to Vegeta. "You can have it!" Vegeta frowned at his display of cowardice and weakness, but took the ball. Then he smirked again.

"And here is your payment: your life, such as it is. And you are never to approach Bulma or her parents again, or I will finish you," Vegeta said, and walked away. Rukin lowered his head in shame and defeat.

Kakkarot was still dueling with the last man from the bordello. The man was surprisingly skilled with a blade, though Kakkarot was rapidly gaining ground. Then Kakkarot stumbled over one of the bodies at their feet. He regained himself quickly, but the other man was already on him. Then a new voice echoed from the street.

"Where's my Chi-Chi!" The man from the bordello turned his head just in time to see a giant man with black hair, a black beard and mustache, and dark brown eyes come running up. The giant punched the man from the bordello and sent him flying a few feet down the street. Kakkarot immediately went back into a defensive position.

"Who are you, and what do you want with-" he started.

"Daddy!" Chi-Chi cried out joyfully as she ran into the big man's arms.

"Chi-Chi! My little girl! I was so worried!" the giant answered as he hugged her tightly.

"Daddy. . .?" Kakkarot blinked, easing out of his combat stance. Chi-Chi turned to him with a tearful smile.

"Yes! Kakkarot, this is my father, Ox-King. Daddy, this is Kakkarot. He's asked me to marry him!" Chi-Chi said, looking back and forth between the two men.

"Marry?" Ox-King repeated, and then looked at Kakkarot closely. "You want to marry my little girl? Where are you from, son?"

"I'm from the Vegetasei Province, sir," Kakkarot answered. "I'm the best samurai from there, and come from a good family. Chi-Chi will be well provided for."

"Well, that's good to know. Before I give my approval, though, I need to know how you two met and a little more about you," Ox-King said with a smile, showing he already had some approval for Kakkarot.

"How did you know I was here, Daddy?" Chi-Chi asked.

"I heard people saying they'd seen you riding toward the doctor with a bleeding Bulma," Ox-King told her. "I've been looking for you; it wasn't until I saw the posters that I realized what had happened to you."

"Enye didn't tell you?" Chi-Chi said, her eyes wide with surprise.

"No, he didn't. And he won't be telling anyone much of anything anymore," Ox-King said, looking a little uncomfortable.

"Enye?" Kakkarot stepped in.

"The tax man. What happened, Daddy?"

"When I found out what he'd done to you, I confronted him. I was shaking him, then threw him against a tree. . .which he hit wrong," the Ox King admitted. Vegeta was already back inside the doctor's office, speaking with Bulma's parents.

"I never knew Rukin was like that," Mrs. Briefs said to Vegeta. "He always acted so nice and polite around us."

"If we'd known about him sooner, we never would have agreed to the marriage," Dr. Briefs agreed. "But, you say you want to marry her?"

"Yes, I do," Vegeta nodded.

"You understand, we're not nobles. We're as rich as most nobles, but we're not of noble blood," Dr. Briefs observed.

"I know that, and I still want to marry her," Vegeta said.

"Well, far be it for me to refuse a prince. That is, if it's what Bulma wants," Dr. Briefs looked to his daughter.

"Yes, dear. If he's the one you want, then we'll be happy to approve," Mrs. Briefs said. Bulma smiled and gave a nod.

"Yes, I want to marry him," Bulma said, then turned her eyes to Vegeta. "I love him." Vegeta smiled.

"Then that's that. When shall the wedding be?" Dr. Briefs smiled brightly, as did his wife.

"Well, I still need to tell my own parents. . .my father may prove. . .difficult," Vegeta admitted.

"You haven't told them yet?" Mrs. Briefs asked, surprised.

"We haven't been back to Vegetasei yet," Vegeta said.

"Why not?" Dr. Briefs asked next.

"That's a long story," Bulma chuckled.

"One I'm sure we'd like to hear," Dr. Briefs said.

"Before we get into that," Vegeta cut in, "do you know where Bulma got this necklace?" he pulled the necklace out of his pocket, where he put it when the trouble started.

"Oh, my necklace!" Bulma half-gasped as her hands went to her throat. She hadn't even noticed it was gone.

"That?" Mrs. Briefs said. "What does it matter?"

"It just does. Where did it come from?" Vegeta pressed.

"It was a gift from a friend," Mrs. Briefs answered.

"It was?" Bulma blinked.

"Yes. You were five," her mother nodded. "That's probably why you don't remember. It was back when we lived in the Vegetasei Province." Vegeta's eyes nearly bugged out of his head.

"You lived in Vegetasei?" he said slowly.

"Yes, for not quite a year," Dr. Briefs said. "We were poor then, and I needed more room for my lab, so we had to move away from our families. We lived right across from the royal cherry trees."

"And Bulma made friends with a little boy from the palace. They'd play under the cherry trees. He must have been a noble's son, because he gave her a fancy kimono for her birthday," Mrs. Briefs continued. "Then we were told we had to leave the province. We still don't know why. But Bulma made a necklace for the boy as a gift. Before we could leave, he came running up. He'd made the one necklace into two, using cherry seeds to make up for the lack of beads, and having broken the center stone into two equal halves. It was very cute and sweet, really. He told her that when they were all grown up, he'd go look for her, and he'd know he'd found her by the necklace."

"Each half had an initial carved into it; his had a "B" for Bulma, and hers has a "V". . .we don't know what it's for, she never said," Dr. Briefs finished.

"Say, now that I think about it, you look a lot like that little boy," Mrs. Briefs observed as she leaned a little closer to Vegeta.

"I should. . .that "V". . .it's for Vegeta," Vegeta said, a faint hint of wonder in his voice as he pulled out his own necklace for them to see. They all stared wide-eyed. Vegeta could remember a little, now. . .a little blue-eyed, blue-haired girl who was his friend. Nothing distinct, but he knew it happened. Bulma just stared at him in surprise. She could remember a little, too. "I didn't remember where I got mine, either. . .I just knew it was a good luck charm for traveling that I'd worn for as long as I could remember."

"Unbelievable!" Dr. Briefs exclaimed.

"Amazing!" Mrs. Briefs agreed.

"You kept your word," Bulma laughed softly, then winced in pain. Then her eyes lit up as she remembered one thing more. "Promise for. . ."

"For always," Vegeta nodded. He was a little numb with the surprise of it all, but felt happy, all the same.

"Now, about why you haven't been home. . ." Dr. Briefs still had some questions he wanted answered.

Bulma was deemed fit to travel a few days later, though none of the four was all that wild about the long trip back to Shenlon's den. Kakkarot had won full approval from the Ox-King, and had even managed to convince Vegeta to let Ox-King have some of the gold Shenlon gave them to help him along. They had a final meal at Bulma's house and made ready to depart.

"First we have to return Shenlon's treasure to him, then we go back to Vegetasei," Kakkarot sighed as he pack up his things. They had been staying at the Briefs' place for the past two nights. Chi-Chi was there helping them pack.

"That's the plan," Vegeta said. The three balls sat, flashing, on the table in a triangle. Bulma held up the tracking jewel.

"I'm kinda glad it led us here," she observed lightly. "Now I'm truly free of Rukin forever." The jewel pointed to the balls. "Yes, yes. They're all right there. We know," Bulma chuckled to the stone. The tracking jewel pulled itself free from her hand in response, and snapped straight up over the center of the ball-triangle.

"What is it doing?" Vegeta asked as the jewel began spinning, slowly at first, then faster.

"It's speeding up," Kakkarot observed as it began to become a blur.

"Shenlon didn't say anything. . ." Chi-Chi observed as the tracking jewel began glowing gold while it spun. A blinding flash of gold suddenly burst from it, and they felt the world shift out from under their feet. A few seconds later, they felt solid stone under them again, and the light faded away to reveal they were all back in Shenlon's den, including their horses.

"What!" they cried out in shock.

"How did we get back here!" Vegeta demanded.

"Ah, you're back! My balls!" Shenlon said happily as he scooped up the three dragon balls and the tracker and put them back in their rightful places.

"You didn't say the tracker would return us here once we were done!" Bulma snapped loudly.

"Didn't I?" Shenlon asked.

"No!" Chi-Chi bellowed.

"Oh, well. I thank you for your services, and here's the rest of your payment," Shenlon said as he gave them three more bags of gold.

"You're welcome," Kakkarot said, still confused, and he and Vegeta loaded the treasure onto Auroris and Horushu. "Say, we were told that someone with green hands stole the balls. . ."

"That mischief-maker Piccolo again. That figures. Don't let it bother you," Shenlon waved it off.

"How do we get out of here?" Chi-Chi asked quietly. "The mountain side is too steep for the horses to climb down." A low, rumbling sigh from Shenlon filled the room.

"Hold on," he said, and then picked up all four humans and the two horses and flew out of his den. He set them all safely on the ground and then turned around to fly back. "Goodbye, Thank you again!" he called as he left.

"Goodbye!" they called out, then looked to the road ahead of them.

"To Vegetasei?" Kakkarot asked lightly as he and Chi-Chi got onto Horushu.

"Where else?" Vegeta smirked as he and Bulma climbed onto Auroris. "Come on, it's time to go home!" With that, he sent Auroris running down the way, and Kakkarot was at his side again in moments. The idea of going home actually sounded really good. He even missed his father, though he knew his father would be angry with him when he got home. ((Especially when I tell him I've found my empress, but she's a commoner. . .let's see how well the old man deals.)) Vegeta smirked even deeper to himself at the thought of his father's face when he met Bulma.


	8. Chapter 8

Okay, I forgot to mention at the end of the last chapter that "Enye" - the name of the tax man - is a play on the word yen. Rukin I just made up, there's no pun there.

No, I don't own Dragon Ball Z, not even a little.

A Promise of Always

by

NansJns

Chapter 7

Auroris and Horushu seemed to be as eager as their riders to get home; they ran longer and harder than they had before. Vegeta found himself daydreaming about the fine feasts his cooks prepared, and sleeping in his own bed again. A small smile graced his face as he realized that soon, he wouldn't be sleeping alone ever again. Kakkarot was merrily telling Chi-Chi about his family, his brother Raditz, father Bardock, and mother Okarana, as well as his grandparents and some of his more interesting uncles and aunts. Vegeta had warned Bulma of his father's most likely reaction to her, and she was as prepared as she could get. Vegeta's one hope was his mother. Empress Lesessu was a very understanding woman, and had told Vegeta that the woman who was right to be his empress was the one that set his heart and soul aflame, and could help him rule wisely. ((How right you are, Mother. How right you are!)) Vegeta thought. Empress Lesessu had been busy helping with some treaties when he had left for Takanama. ((She's probably worried about me.)) Vegeta frowned a bit. His mother also tended to be a bit overly emotional at times. Still, if he could convince her that Bulma was the one he really loved, the one he felt was the best choice, then she'd stand up for her to his father. Now it was just a matter of close to three months travel to get home. They hoped that going straight there, as opposed to the wandering they'd done before, would shorten the trip.

"Will we still be camping, or can we go into towns again now?" Bulma asked out of the blue as the sun began to set.

"Hmm, good question," Vegeta muttered.

"I somehow doubt the searchers will be very easy on us even if we say 'oh, we're headed home now,'" Kakkarot observed.

"So, perhaps it would be wisest to not go into towns too often?" Chi-Chi said. Tired nods were her response.

"Unless the weather doesn't permit camping," Vegeta grunted unhappily.

A few weeks passed as they traveled, riding all day and into the night, camping under the stars as the nights grew cooler with the coming winter. The closer they got to home, the more excited Kakkarot and Vegeta were, though Vegeta didn't show it at all. One evening, when the sky was clear and the air was brisk, Kakkarot and Chi-Chi were sitting away from the main camp discussing their future. Both couples had wanted a while alone, and Kakkarot and decided to take Chi-Chi for a walk, then they decided to sit down. They were murmuring to each other happily when they heard hoof beats. Then neighing, and the alarm going off. They started to jump to their feet when a booming voice stopped Kakkarot in his tracks.

"Kakkarot! There you are! We've been searching everywhere for the prince and you!" Raditz bellowed as he leaped off his horse and ran up to his younger brother. Behind him, Nappa and their fellow samurai dismounted a little more slowly.

"R-Raditz? Is that you?" Kakkarot stared, surprised that his brother was amongst the searchers.

"Your brother, Raditz?" Chi-Chi asked slowly as the tall man ran up to her fiancé. She had thought Kakkarot was very tall, but his brother was almost head-and-shoulders taller. Raditz reached his brother and gave him a quick, relieved hug before cuffing him upside the head.

"Ow! What was that for?" Kakkarot snapped as he rubbed his sore head.

"You idiot! Where have you and the prince been! The Emperor will skin you for not taking him to Takanama as you said you would!" Raditz snapped in return.

"And where is the prince now?" Nappa demanded as he walked up to the brothers. Then he noticed the small woman standing behind Kakkarot. "And where did you find her? You must be offering a bundle to get her to come all the way out here." Raditz looked around his brother to the black-haired woman, who suddenly started to shake with anger.

"How dare you!" she snarled.

"Apologize at once, Nappa! She's no whore!" Kakkarot drew his sword in her defense.

"Then what is she?" Nappa asked, arching an eyebrow.

"She's my fiancee," Kakkarot answered.

"Fiancee!" Raditz and Nappa both jumped in surprise.

"My name is Chi-Chi Ox," Chi-Chi said with a slightly strained bow. Raditz she didn't mind, but that Nappa was grating on her nerves already.

"Chi-Chi, huh? Where did you find her, brother?" Raditz said. "I can't believe you found someone dumb enough to marry you. . ."

"Excuse me! Kakkarot is a great warrior with a good heart! I couldn't ask for a better husband than him, and I'll thank you to keep your insults to yourself!" Chi-Chi said nice and loud as she walked right up to Raditz and looked him in the eye. Raditz blinked, then laughed.

"You found yourself a fiery one, brother! She and mother will get along just fine!" Raditz laughed. "I'm honored to be the first to welcome you to our family, Miss Chi-Chi," he said with a bow. "I'm Raditz, Kakkarot's elder brother. I meant no true insult earlier, I was just being an older brother." Chi-Chi, mollified, smiled a bit.

"Oh, I see," she said.

"Enough of this nonsense! You were supposed to be finding the prince a wife, not yourself! Now, where is he? He's long overdue for his trip to Takanama, and his father is angry with him - and you!" Nappa barked in annoyance. Kakkarot frowned a bit before motioning toward camp.

"He's there," he said.

"Correction - I'm here. We heard the alarm go off and then yelling," Vegeta said as he walked up to the gathering with Bulma at his side. "And the trip was a success anyway, without wasting time in Takanama."

"Say what? Who's she?" Nappa said, pointing to Bulma. The other samurai moved in too.

"Your highness, we've been searching for you for nearly three months. Where have you been?" a man Vegeta recognized as Biinu, a youth with a lean face and shoulder-length spiky black hair, said.

"A success, you say? Then you've found your empress?" a second man he knew as Horada, a man Nappa's age with a beard, said, looking to Bulma. "What province are you princess of?" he asked lightly.

"Uhh. . ." Bulma squeaked. "I'm not a princess."

"A noble's daughter, then," Horada nodded. "Which province?"

"KapuKopu. . ." Bulma said. "But I'm not a noble's daughter, either." The samurai all stared at her and Vegeta for several long moments in stunned silence.

"She's the daughter of a very wealthy and influential family in KapuKopu," Vegeta said coldly. "And she _will_ be my empress."

"Be that. . .as it may, your highness,. . . we have orders to bring you back to Vegetasei," Nappa said, obviously still recovering from the shock.

"How surprising. We were headed back there, anyway," Vegeta waved him off. "We'll leave in the morning," he said as he took Bulma by the hand and went back to the camp.

"And just for the record, it was Vegeta's idea not to go to Takanama. I tried to convince him otherwise," Kakkarot observed as he and Chi-Chi followed them.

"Uh-huh," Nappa muttered. Then he turned to the others. "Everyone, set up camp around them, make sure they don't sneak off on us."

"We're talking about our prince, here, not some criminal," Raditz said.

"He ran off once, he might try it again. If he's lost his mind enough to want to take a commoner for his wife, there's no telling what he might do," Nappa answered coolly. "His father will be. . .most displeased."

They finally arrived in Vegetasei a month and a half later, and the news of their arrival reached the palace before they did. The Emperor and Empress stood just within the palace walls waiting for them, Kakkarot and Radtiz's parents to one side. The errant Prince and his guard, their two women half-hidden behind them on the backs of their horses, rode into the palace grounds calmly and dismounted. They helped their women down and then stood with their heads high and waited. The Emperor walked to his son casually.

"Where have you been, son?" Emperor Vegeta asked, deceptively calm.

"I've been traveling across Japan," Vegeta answered in similar tones. "I would have been back much sooner, but I was. . .pressed into helping a dragon retrieve some stolen items."

"You were supposed to be going to Takanama," his father said, a faint hint of edge to his voice. "And what dragon?"

"I know. I didn't want to go. I'd met their princess before, and already knew I didn't want her," Vegeta said. "And the dragon is named Shenlon and he lives far north from here."

"You understand you've made me look bad before Takanama?" his father continued.

"I'm aware. I'll issue an apology to them, if you like," Prince Vegeta said.

"Who is this?" his father pointed to Bulma then, his eyes hard and cold, his anger glowing behind them. Somewhere deep down, he thought she looked familiar.

"I'm Bulma Briefs, My Lord," Bulma said as she quickly bowed.

"She is the one I want for my Empress," Vegeta said. Emperor Vegeta's head snapped back to his son, and hard black eyes met equally hard black eyes.

"Really? Which Province is she princess of?" Emperor Vegeta said, still maintaining his calm outer appearance, though it was becoming obviously strained.

"She's not a princess. Or a noble. Her family is as wealthy as most nobles, but are of common blood," Vegeta stated bluntly. No sense beating about the bush, it was better to just have it out. He watched his father's calm surface crack wide open.

"Say. . .what? You wish to marry a commoner?" Emperor Vegeta barely managed to keep his voice from becoming a growl. Empress Lesessu moved forward quickly to keep her husband and son from physically fighting.

"Why, Vegeta?" Lesessu asked as she looked Bulma over carefully. Bulma swallowed dryly. She was very nervous. What would happen if Vegeta's father totally refused to allow their marriage? She found Empress Lesessu a little calming, strangely. The woman was a little taller than her with wide, dark brown eyes and long black hair that was, for the most part, hanging loose. Several heavy locks were held in loops on the back of her head with gold combs and a hair pin, and she was dressed in a rich, flowing gold and red kimono and obi. "She is beautiful." Lesessu said, still looking at Bulma.

"She is. She is also brilliant, spirited, not afraid of sharing her mind, and wise," Vegeta said, more to his father than to his mother.

"She is a commoner!" Emperor Vegeta said forcefully.

"She is my choice!" Prince Vegeta barked back.

"You have defied me in the past, boy, but this I will not tolerate!" Emperor Vegeta snarled. "I will not allow you to marry a low-born woman! You deserve better!"

"She's better than every high-class woman I've ever met!" Prince Vegeta retaliated. "My mind is made up! I will marry Bulma, or I will never marry at all!"

"You little brat!" Emperor Vegeta snapped.

"Calm down! We can find a solution!" Lesessu stepped in.

"There's only one solution! Start preparations for my wedding," Prince Vegeta stated sharply. Bulma jumped forward and grabbed Vegeta's arm, causing her necklace to swing into view. Emperor Vegeta stared at it. ((Her! It can't be! I sent her family out of this province to keep her and my son apart!)) he thought.

"Not to her!" Emperor Vegeta barked, and then drew his sword. The prince drew his in return. They were about to fight when. . .

"STOP THIS NONSENSE AT ONCE!" Lesessu bellowed, surprising all present. Many there had never heard her raise her voice before. Her husband and son looked to her.

"Stay out of this, woman," Emperor Vegeta hissed lowly.

"I will not! He is my son, too, and I have some say in this!" Empress Lesessu said. "Vegeta, you love this woman? Truly love her?"

"Yes," Vegeta nodded. He was very uncomfortable having his feelings known to the world; he'd always been taught that showing emotion could be a weakness.

"And you," she turned to Bulma, "you truly love my son? Wish to marry him? Bear his children?" Bulma was a little surprised with the Empress, but overcame it quickly.

"Yes, yes I do. All of it," Bulma nodded quickly.

"Well, that's a very good beginning," Lesessu said. "Now, what does your family do that has earned them as much wealth as a noble family?"

"We own and operate an iron mill, and invent new devices," Bulma answered quickly.

"An iron mill?" Emperor Vegeta said, his interest perked.

"Wait, you're a part of the Briefs family from KapuKopu?" Lesessu said, her eyes widening with surprise.

"Yes, I am. You've heard of us?" Bulma said with a smile.

"We have some of your tools and weapons here in the palace!" Lesessu smiled in return. Emperor Vegeta cleared his throat uncomfortably.

"She is still a commoner, and thus an unfit wife for our son," he said. Bulma frowned, she'd had enough.

"_He_ thinks I'm plenty fit! And since _he's_ the one who's going to marry me, I think his opinion is the one that really counts!" Bulma said sharply, and watched the Emperor's eyes narrow.

"How _dare_ you speak to me like that, you disrespectful wench!" he growled, raising a clenched fist.

"Lay a hand on her, Father, and it will be the last thing you ever do!" Vegeta warned.

"My dear, you are being too harsh," Lesessu said. "Our son obviously believes her worthy, or he wouldn't have brought her to us in the first place."

"The boy is blinded by love," Emperor Vegeta grumbled.

"Is it so wrong to love the woman he will spend his life with and be the mother of his children? Don't you love me?" Lesessu answered. Her husband stiffened.

"Of course, I love you, but. . .but you are. . ." he sputtered. He didn't like talking about his feelings any more than his son did.

"I am what? The daughter of an Emperor? Vegeta, our son has chosen otherwise. Some fresh blood in the royal lines really isn't all that bad an idea, now, is it?" Lesessu continued, her voice low and soothing. Emperor Vegeta muttered something that couldn't be understood. "If she makes him happy, and is as intelligent as he says, isn't that important as well as who her family is?" More muttering in response. "Vegeta, my love, let it be. It's what he wants, and we'd get attachments to another iron mill in the bargain." Emperor Vegeta was quiet for a few moments, and then let out a long, tired sigh as he sheathed his blade. His son then sheathed his own sword.

"All right, all right. But she had better prove to be a great Empress," Emperor Vegeta said, obviously still unhappy. Still, it was enough. Bulma sighed deeply in relief, and Prince Vegeta clearly relaxed. Kakkarot's parents moved over to him and Chi-Chi during the argument and some quick introductions were made. The Emperor suddenly turned to them. "Kakkarot! You still failed in your duty, and as such, must be punished!"

"Father, the whole thing was my idea," Vegeta said.

"He still didn't do as he vowed. Since he was following your orders, the punishment won't be lethal," Emperor Vegeta said, and Kakkarot moved forward solemnly. He knew this was going to happen. He just hoped it wouldn't leave too many lasting marks. Two of the guards led him off to his punishment, Okarana holding back Chi-Chi and keeping her from running to him.

"He'll be all right," Okarana said to her future daughter-in-law quietly. "The Emperor himself said his punishment wouldn't be lethal, and Kakkarot is strong. If they hurt him, he'll heal from it and be fine before long."

"Start preparing for a royal wedding!" Emperor Vegeta ordered some of his servants, who obediently and quickly scurried off. "And start writing a nice, long apology to Lord Bamu of Takanama, son!" the Emperor turned back to his boy, who smirked.

"Right away, Father," he said, and went to find a brush and some paper, sending a smile to Bulma.

"Come this way, dear, we need to start fitting you for your wedding kimono," Empress Lesessu said as she led Bulma in a different direction.

"We'd better start working on some wedding plans, too," Bardock observed. "Once my youngest son comes back, anyway."

"So, tell me, my dear, are you a samurai?" Okarana asked sweetly as they led Chi-Chi off to start working on her wedding.

The royal marriage came a few weeks later, and the samurai's wedding some time after that. Many were uncertain about a commoner being Empress, but it quickly became clear she was a good choice. Bulma's brilliant mind proved invaluable to the Vegetasei government, as she helped Vegeta work through treaties and trade agreements that made Vegetasei ever stronger, and their territory began expanding. Vegeta and Bulma together were an unbeatable team, and within two years of their marriage, Bulma gave birth to a healthy little boy, who had his mother's coloring and his father's features, and they named him Trunks. Often in the spring, to the annoyance of the guards, the royal family would slip away to walk amongst or sit under the blooming cherry trees in the royal garden, enjoying the peace, the beauty, and each other. Occasionally, Kakkarot, Chi-Chi, and their son, Gohan, born shortly before Trunks, would join them, and they'd ruminate about the strange adventure that brought them all together.

_Prince and his Lady_

_Cherry blossoms blooming pink_

_Promise of Always_

End

Lesessu- a play on the word lettuce.

Biinu (Bee-new) - a play on the word bean.

Horada- a play on horseradish.


End file.
